BBL 2021 Predictions & Betting Tips

2020-21 result: Fifth in the table, fifth overall
Captain: Travis Head
Overseas players: Rashid Khan, George Garton
Other key players: Alex Carey, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle

Adelaide Strikers finished fifth in the 2020-21 group stage after winning seven and losing games. They were then knocked out in the Eliminator by Brisbane Heat. 

They have two very talented overseas players in their ranks this season with spinner Rashid Khan returning for his fifth season and being joined by BBL first-timer George Garton. Khan took 16 wickets in ten games during the 2020-21 BBL. Garton is a bowling all-rounder who is very close to getting his first England cap.

Batting wise, captain Travis Head and Alex Carey will be expected to deliver a large proportion of the runs alongside Jake Weatherald who hit 433 runs including 3 half-centuries last year.

Wes Agar was the leading wicket taker for Adelaide Strikers in last season’s tournament, he picked up 20 wickets with his best figures of 4-27 coming against Brisbane Heat. Peter Siddle provides a huge amount of experience with the ball and contributed 19 wickets during the 2020-21 season.

With Rashid Khan available for the entire tournament, the Strikers should improve on fifth place.

Adelaide Strikers BBL 2021-22 odds

Adelaide Strikers are 12.00 to win the competition with Bet365. Betway are offering odds of 8.50 for them to win BBL 11.

2020-21 result: Fourth in the table, third overall
Captain: Jimmy Pierson
Overseas players: Tom Abell, Ben Duckett, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Other key players: Chris Lynn, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth

Last season, Brisbane Heat defeated Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder during the knockout stage but were eventually eliminated by Perth Scorchers in the Challenger. During the group stage, the Heat won seven and lost games.

They have bolstered their squad with the signings of overseas players Tom Abell and Ben Duckett both of whom have never played in the BBL before. Duckett has eight international caps and was very impressive during the Men’s Hundred. Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman returns for his fourth season in the BBL.

Chris Lynn top scored with 458 runs and smashed 26 sixes for the Heat last season. The experienced opener has twice been named Player of The Tournament. Captain Jimmy Pierson is another talented player who will contribute to the side as their wicket-keeper batter.

Mark Steketee finished joint second in the list of wicket takers during the 2020-21 season. The fast-medium bowler took 24 wickets with Mujeeb Ur Rahman his nearest challenger in the side with 14 dismissals.

If Ben Duckett can bring his English domestic form into this competition then Brisbane Heat could be in for a strong season.

Brisbane Heat BBL 2021-22 odds

Brisbane Heat are 8.50 to win the 2021-22 BBL with Bet 365. They are 8.00 to take the title with Betway.

2020-21 result: Sixth
Captain: Matthew Wade
Overseas players: Harry Brook, Sandeep Lamichhane, Jordan Thompson
Other key players: Tim David, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short

Hobart Hurricanes finished only one point behind Brisbane Heat in fourth and were level on points with Adelaide Strikers in fifth last season. However, a weak net-run-rate prevented them from progressing to the knockout stage.

Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane is preparing for his second consecutive campaign with the Hurricanes after spending his first two BBLs with Melbourne Stars. He will be joined by Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thompson and his team-mate Harry Brook as overseas players. Brook is a precocious talent who has flourished in all formats over the last two seasons.

Ben McDermott provided 402 runs at an average of 36.54 with a top score of 96 last season. He will be expected to hit a large number of boundaries again this year with heavy responsibility for the likes of Tim David and D’Arcy Short also.

Nathan Ellis was the Hurricanes’ top wicket taker in last year’s campaign. He picked up 20 wickets with Scott Boland only 3 wickets behind.

The Hurricanes have an exciting bunch of young overseas players who they will be hoping can take them into the knockout stages this year.

Hobart Hurricanes BBL 2021-22 odds

Hobart Hurricanes are priced at 7.00 with Bet365 to win this season’s BBL. Betway offer 8.50 for Hurricanes to win their first title.

2020-21 result: eighth
Captain: Nic Maddinson
Overseas players: Reece Topley, Mohammad Nabi, Zahir Khan, Unmukt Chand
Other key players: Aaron Finch, James Pattinson, Sam Harper

Melbourne Renegades were far and away the worst team in the competition last season and picked up only four wins as they finished bottom of the league. 

Unmukt Chand will become the first Indian men’s cricketer to feature in the BBL. He is one of four overseas players in the Renegades squad alongside Zahir Khan, Reece Topley and Mohammad Nabi.

Wicket-keeper Sam Harper hit 3 half-centuries last year and finished as their highest run scorer with 351 in total. The experienced pair of Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh will be tasked with making big scores for the side this time around.

Peter Hatzoglu, the Renegades’ leading wicket taker from last season, has moved to Perth Scorchers. Left-arm pace bowler Reece Topley will look to fill the void alongside Kane Richardson who took 15 wickets during the 2020-21 campaign.

It will not take much for Melbourne Renegades to improve on last year’s display. If Reece Topley can stay injury free he could make a big impact.

Melbourne Renegades BBL 2021-22 odds

Melbourne Renegades can be backed to win the title at 13.00 with Bet365. With Betway the odds are 12.00.

2020-21 result: Seventh
Captain: Glenn Maxwell
Overseas players: Joe Clarke, Qais Ahmad
Other key players: Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake

Melbourne Stars won the 2019-20 BBL but collapsed to finish way down in seventh last season. They won five games and were only two wins behind fourth placed Brisbane Heat.

Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmed and England’s Joe Clarke are Melbourne Stars’ overseas players for this campaign. Ahmed has previously played for Hobart Hurricanes in this tournament with Clarke turning out three times for Perth Scorchers last season.

T20 World Cup winners Marcus Stoinis (396 runs) and Glenn Maxwell (379) both contributed a useful tall of runs during the 2020-21 BBL. However, the Stars will need one player to kick on and contribute 450+ runs this year if they are to be competitive.

Adam Zampa picked up 19 wickets in last year’s competition and finished as the top wicket taker in this year’s T20 World Cup. His leg-spin will be Melbourne Stars’ biggest threat, although we expect Qais Ahmad to also be penetrative.

It was a disappointing BBL last season for the Stars, but if the World Cup winners can bring their quality to this tournament then they could well be in the mix.

Melbourne Stars BBL 2021-22 odds

You can back Melbourne Stars to win the 2021-22 BBL at 6.50 with Bet365. Betway have also priced them at 6.50.

2020-21 result: Second in the table, runners-up overall
Captain: TBC
Overseas players: Colin Munro, Laurie Evans
Other key players: Ashton Agar, Mitch Marsh, Andrew Tye

Perth Scorchers put in an excellent effort during last season’s BBL but could not get past Sydney Sixers in either the group stage or in the final.

Englishman Laurie Evans will be looking forward to his first BBL tournament after producing plenty of impressive performances across franchise leagues over recent years. He is joined by New Zealand’s Colin Munro who returns to the Scorchers for a second successive season.

Munro top scored for the Scorchers with 443 runs and 4 half-centuries last year. However, they will be without Liam Livingstone who hit 426 runs and has opted to stay back in England.

Jhye Richardson finished as the tournament’s top wicket taker in 2020-21 but will be in the Ashes squad for the majority of the campaign. Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff and new signing Peter Hatzoglou will be charged with picking up the wickets in Richardson’s absence.

Many of Perth Scorchers’ top performers from last season will be on international duty this year and it will require a big effort from the rest of the squad to reach the final again.

Perth Scorchers BBL 2021-22 odds

Perth Scorchers are priced at 5.00 to win the BBL with Bet365. Betway have them as joint favourites at 4.50.

2020-21 result: First in the table, champions
Captain: Moises Henriques
Overseas players: James Vince, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran
Other key players: Moises Henriques, Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis

Sydney Sixers were rightful champions last year after winning the group stage by four points. They won the final by 27 runs after being inserted to bat first by Perth Scorchers.

England international James Vince was the second highest run scorer in last season’s tournament after hitting 537 runs. He will be joined by fellow countrymen Chris Jordan and Tom Curran this year.

Alongside Vince’s 4 half-centuries, there were substantial runs from Josh Philippe (508) with Jordan Silk (382) chipping in during the tournament. No player hit more fours than James Vince in the competition.

Left-arm fast medium bowler Ben Dwarhuis took 24 wickets at an average of 16.79 in the 2020-21 BBL. Chris Jordan is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world and will be a big boost to the side.

With James Vince returning and a very strong bowling attack, the Sixers look well set to target a third successive title.

Sydney Sixers BBL 2021-22 odds

Sydney Sixers are favourites to defend their title with Bet365 and are priced at 4.50. Betway also have the Sixers at 4.50 to win the tournament.

2020-21 result: Third in the table, fourth overall
Captain: Usman Khawaja
Overseas players: Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, Alex Hales
Other key players: Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Nathan McAndrew

Sydney Thunder performed very well in the group stage and picked up eight wins last season. They were eliminated by Brisbane Heat in the Knockout fixture, losing by 7 wickets.

Alex Hales was the highest scoring batter in the tournament last season and returns as an overseas player alongside countrymen Sam Billings and Saqib Mahmood. Billings hit 2 half-centuries in last year’s WBBL, for Mahmood this will be his first appearance.

Sydney Thunder will have to make up for the loss of last season’s captain Callum Ferguson who contributed 405 runs but was not offered a contract for this campaign. Alex Hales will be looking to replicate last year’s haul of 543 runs with the likes of Sam Billings and Ben Cutting expected to step up.

Young leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha took 21 wickets in the 2020-21 tournament and has been in fine form during this domestic season so far. The bowling attack will be bolstered by Saqib Mahmood who has impressed for England in white ball cricket during 2021.

If Alex Hales can come near to hitting 84 boundaries again then there is every chance that Sydney Thunder will be able to better last season’s showing.

Sydney Thunder BBL 2021-22 odds

Bet365 has Sydney Thunder at 6.50 to lift the BBL trophy at the end of January. Betway prices Sydney Thunder at 8.00