The Big Bash League 2020-21 is the latest in the line of franchise cricket leagues that are resuming action since the global virus happened. And with the ICC T20 World Cup happening next year, the Australian extravaganza will be yet another chance for players to stake their claims.

Though the new set of rules in BBL 10 have thrown few fans off gear even before the start of the tournament, it will hardly bother  the T20 stars who are raring to go with high-octane at disposal.

We outline five players who are tipped to shine in this opening week and could help the fantasy owners get ahead early on.

Player: Rashid Khan, Adelaide Strikers

Match: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes

The shrewd Afghanistan spinner has been one of the biggest success stories of the Big Bash League with the Adelaide Strikers. And the all-rounder returns to the team after a successful Indian T20 League campaign in October-November. While Rashid Khan has scalped 56 wickets in 40 matches, he has also made valuable contributions with the bat, scoring 253 runs at a strike-rate of 161.14.

Fresh from a positive campaign with Hyderabad in the Indian T20 League, where he bagged 20 wickets at an economy rate of 5.37, Rashid Khan is tipped to make a bright start to the BBL 2020-21 season when he faces Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday.

Player: James Pattinson, Melbourne Renegades

Match: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers

James Pattinson is amongst the most experienced homegrown players in the Big Bash League, and he returns to Melbourne Renegades after a two-season stint with Brisbane Heat. The 30-year-old has scalped 32 wickets in his Big Bash League career and will be eager for a splendid change in fortunes in franchise cricket, having played out a disappointing campaign for Mumbai in the recently-concluded Indian T20 League.

Amongst the current crop of Australian players representing the Renegades in the latest edition, Pattinson is the only bowler who has been the leading wicket-taker for the franchise team on two occasions. Coach Michael Klinger will also have high hopes from the veteran pacer.

Player: Glenn Maxwell, Melbourne Stars

Match: Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat; Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder

The Melbourne Stars captain is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of the Big Bash League, who will arrive at the back of an exciting T20I and ODI series against India. Fans would expect Glenn Maxwell to continue his rich vein of form in 20-overs cricket as his career graph in the competition is certainly amongst the best. Maxwell is the second-highest run-getter in the history of the team (1304 runs).

Speaking of current form, Maxwell put his poor form from the Indian T20 League behind as he scored 78 runs in the recent T20I series against India to ease the pressure that he had brought upon himself.

Player: Cameron Green, Perth Scorchers

Match: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers

A 21-year-old Cameron Green enters the 2020-21 edition of the Big Bash League as one of the most highly-rated stars, and Perth Scorchers would hope that the all-rounder turns out to be a revelation by the end of the BBL season. Having made his debut for the franchise in the 2018-19 season, Green has gone on to score 106 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 108.16.

Green is tipped to start Perth Scorchers�?opening game against Melbourne Renegades, and the youngster is poised to make a solid statement while facing the likes of James Pattinson and Kane Richardson.

Player: Moises Henriques, Sydney Sixers

Match: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades

The Sydney Sixers captain is recognized as one of the most prolific performers in the Big Bash League, and enters the latest campaign with a clear aim to help his team defend their title. Moises Henriques made his international comeback to T20I cricket after a three-year absence with a three-wicket haul in the first game of the T20I series against India.

The 33-year-old hit 267 runs in the championship-winning season last year and seeks a positive start to the season against Hobart Hurricanes.

Feature Image courtesy: Instagram/ Glenn Maxwell

Australian fast bowler James Pattinson had big shoes to fill in when Mumbai had announced him as the replacement for Lasith Malinga, who had to opt-out of the Indian T20 League season due to personal reasons.

The veteran Sri Lankan pacer had been a vital cog of Mumbai's bowling attack throughout the last decade of the tournament and his position at the top of the wicket-taking charts in the history of the Indian T20 League is testament of the legacy he left behind.

In fact, Pattinson wasn't even expected to be one of Mumbai's first-choice seamers for this edition. Even though he was roped in as Malinga's replacement, Nathan Coulter-Nile was supposed to start ahead of him along with Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. However, as the season kicked off, Pattinson was the one who was seen walking out to the field ahead of Coulter-Nile.

The decision to start with a bowler with no prior experience of playing in the Indian T20 League could have gone in any direction but Pattinson has delivered on the faith shown in him by the Mumbai think-tank so far.

The 30-year-old has picked up nine wickets in the six matches he has played in the tournament and that too at an excellent average of 19.88. His overall economy rate of 7.72 shows that he hasn't gone for that many runs either and that sums up how good a bowling asset he has been for Mumbai thus far, both in terms of attacking and containing the batsmen.

Metrics	PP (1-6) Overs	Middle-Overs (7-16)	Death Overs (17-20)
Overs	10	9	4.1
Runs	75	66	38
Wickets	2	4	3
Economy Rate	7.50	7.33	9.12
Strike-rate	37.5	13.50	8.3

As visible in the distribution of his overs across different phases in the tournament, Pattinson has bowled more than 80 percent of his overs in the Powerplay and the middle-overs. And he has done an excellent job in that role.

While Pattinson hasn't been that penetrating with the new ball, having picked up only two wickets from the 60 balls he has delivered in that phase, he has shown the skills to keep things tight at least. He has gone at only 7.5 runs per over in the Powerplay, which is pretty decent considering the fielding restrictions on.

Pattinson, though, has really flourished as a middle-overs enforcer for Mumbai. He has not only recorded his least economy rate (7.33) during this phase but also picked up wickets at an excellent strike-rate of 13.5. In fact, all of his four wickets in this phase are that of big names like David Warner, Jos Buttler, Manish Pandey and Nicholas Pooran.

All these batsmen have the ability to take the game away from the opposition and Pattinson has ensured Mumbai's safety every time by sending them back to the hut.

This is not all about him though. He has really done well whenever skipper Rohit Sharma has needed him to deliver at the death. Pattinson has picked up three wickets in this phase at an interval of approximately every eight deliveries.

So these numbers show how important Pattinson has been to Mumbai's success in the tournament thus far. He has not only completed Mumbai's three-pronged pace attack, but has also ensured that his end is as sharp as that of the other two prongs.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Mumbai

With two weeks of the Indian T20 League in UAE gone by, we now have a clearer idea of which teams and players are well-versed with and are exploiting the conditions in the Gulf nation.

If you are looking to shake-up your fantasy team, we have a few suggestions that could fetch you plenty of points this coming week:

Faf Du Plessis �?Chennai

Faf has been on a roll this season and is Chennai’s top-scorer with 282 runs in five matches. The South African has often been the lone warrior with the bat for his side and has consistently delivered throughout the season.

WINTAGE YELLOVE! #WhistlePodu #WhistleFromHome #Yellove #KXIPvCSK pic.twitter.com/ebmiJSeU79

�?Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) October 4, 2020

Opening the innings with Shane Watson, the South African has been anchoring the innings to perfection this season and is among those in the hunt to win the Orange Cap. With Chennai taking on Kolkata and Bangalore this week, who are among the weakest bowling sides in the league this season, Du Plessis could be a huge addition to your side.

Shubman Gill �?Kolkata

Another opener who has found his feet this season is Kolkata’s Shubman Gill. The young batsman played a terrific knock on a tough surface to guide Kolkata to victory over Hyderabad and has since been consistently among the runs for his side.

Hey @YUVSTRONG12, like our Shub-man's bat? #KKRHaiTaiyaar #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/9vjfoEyLM3

�?KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 2, 2020

With 152 runs in four matches, Gill is just outside the top 10 run-scorers in the league this season. Kolkata will be in action against Chennai, Punjab and Bangalore this week �?three teams who have been prone to leaking runs. Expect Gill to score runs aplenty.

Jofra Archer �?Rajasthan

He’s curbing runs with the ball and piling them on with the bat. Jofra Archer is as close to the perfect all-rounder as Rajasthan could have hoped for.

Current Mood. #RCBvRR | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/8KdOwQooAa

�?Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 3, 2020

The 25-year-old Englishman has been sensational so far this season, having picked four wickets in four matches at a brilliant economy rate of 6.75. What makes his economy rate unbelievable is the fact that Rajasthan have played two of their four matches at Sharjah, where the average first inning total is well above 200. With the bat, Archer has struck 62 runs at a mammoth strike rate of 248. He’s faced 25 balls and hit eight sixes, a scarcely believable record.

Archer is among the early contenders for MVP and should be in your team.

Devdutt Paddikal �?Bangalore

Outshining Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is an impossible task, but youngster Devdutt Paddikal has made light-work of it so far.

The stylish opener has scored three fifties in his first four matches in the Indian T20 League and has looked comfortable in a batting line-up that features three of the greatest batsmen presently active in Kohli, de Villiers and Aaron Finch.

Passion. Purpose. Progress. #Grateful pic.twitter.com/M7bUTRceND

�?Devdutt Padikkal (@devdpd07) October 3, 2020

While the superstar trio being the aggressor, Padikkal has been the anchor, which is evident from his rather modest strike rate of 134.88, but Bangalore has often been heavily reliant on Kohli and de Villiers to carry the batting load and to see a young star shining so bright has been a breath of fresh air.

All that aside, Padikkal is consistent, scores plenty and should be in your fantasy team.

James Pattinson �?Mumbai

When Lasith Malinga opted to sit the year out, Mumbai’s think-tank turned to James Pattinson to replace him in the playing XI and the Australian has certainly exceeded all expectations so far this season.

Inch-perfect yorkers �?Sharp bouncers �?Crucial wickets of Pooran and Sarfaraz

How impressive was Pattinson last night?#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL #KXIPvMI pic.twitter.com/heGPdXe84t

�?Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) October 2, 2020

Barring a disastrous performance against Bangalore at Sharjah, Pattinson has been economical and has picked up a wicket at least in each of the other four matches. Bowling in the powerplay and at the death, Pattinson has conceded more than eight runs an over only once in his five appearances and is Mumbai’s leading wicket-taker with seven, one shy of the league-high eight.

Pattinson is quick but has a deceptive slower ball that has fetched him wickets and he will continue to be among those as he will be Mumbai’s go-to option in the powerplay and at the death.

If wickets are what your team craves for, Pattinson is your man.

If you wish to raise the stakes further, SportsAdda has even more to offer!

The Indian T20 League's 2020 edition is set to welcome us and as is always the case with such tournaments, we have a fair few last-minute replacements in teams as a result of injury, players pulling out for national commitments or the fear of the pandemic sweeping the globe. Here we look at four of the latest replacement players named, the possible reason they were chosen by the respective franchise and how good a pick they are likely to be.

Adam Zampa - Bangalore

Replacing Kane Richardson with Adam Zampa, a leg-spinner, might have been a tad surprising, but Bangalore have been spot-on with their signings this season. While they already have a leg-spinner certain to start in Yuzvendra Chahal, attacking with spinners, particularly wrist spinners who take wickets, has been immensely successful in T20 cricket.

On slow decks like in UAE, Bangalore could ponder going the way of a lot of Caribbean Premier League teams and go all out in attack with spinners ranging from Chahal and Moeen to Zampa, Negi and Sundar. The Australian leg-spinner is usually economical and has a knack of picking up wickets too, which makes him a handy pick for Bangalore this season.

James Pattinson - Mumbai

Surprisingly, Mumbai chose to replace Lasith Malinga with another pace bowler when they have a plethora of fast bowling options in the bag in Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan and Nathan Coulter-Nile to assist the Indian pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Dhawal Kulkarni. Pattinson adds no new dimension to the attack with his hit-the-deck lengths and is a bizarre pick, particularly given that the franchise is short-staffed in the spin department. With options like Tabraiz Shamsi available to bolster the spin attack in UAE, Mumbai have strangely stuck to their guns in going seam-heavy. It remains to be seen if they can pull a rabbit out of the hat in these challenging conditions.

Daniel Sams - Delhi 

Daniel Sams is a queer choice from a franchise that made a lot of strange choices in the auction this season. While it's certainly a left-field pick, it's hard to see Sams playing a game for Delhi this year. While Sams did well in the Big Bash League, his performances came on completely different wickets against completely different kinds of batters. His skillsets aren't really in sync with conditions in UAE and it's hard to miss the Ricky Ponting influence in this choice. With Delhi Capitals already having pace bowling all-rounders in Marcus Stoinis, Harshal Patel and Keemo Paul, Sams is a real odd pick.

Anrich Nortje - Delhi

While Anrich Nortje lit up the inaugural Mzansi Super League with his blistering pace and bounce and is a good T20 bowler overall, he does not quite match Delhi's requirements for the season. With Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Ishant Sharma, Keemo Paul, Harshal Patel and Mohit Sharma in their ranks, adding Nortje too in the mix would only compound their conundrum. Rather, they seem slightly short on spin-bowling all-rounders who can bat and a middle-order batsman who can chip in with a few overs of spin might have been a more handy pick.

Feature image courtesy: 

Sri Lanka and Mumbai pacer Lasith Malinga has pulled out of the 13th edition of the Indian T20 League due to 'personal reasons' with Australia's James Pattinson replacing the veteran in the squad.

Pattinson, who is yet to feature in the Indian T20 League, played for Brisbane Heat in this year's edition of the Big Bash League. As for Malinga, it is understood that he decided to leave because of his father's ill health that may require surgery in coming weeks.

"Lasith Malinga has requested unavailability for the season for personal reasons and to be with family back home in Sri Lanka," read an official statement from Mumbai.

"He is a legend and a pillar of (Mumbai’s) strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith’s cricketing acumen this season. However, we fully understand Lasith’s need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time.

"James Pattinson will join the (Mumbai) Family currently based in Abu Dhabi this weekend."

More to follow...

Australia fast bowler James Pattinson was suspended on Sunday for player abuse, ruling him out of the first Test against Pakistan this week.

The paceman was found guilty of breaching Cricket Australia's code of conduct during Victoria's Sheffield Shield game against Queensland last week.

It was not clear what he said, but the governing body characterised it as "personal abuse of a player while fielding".

Given it was his third breach in the past 18 months, the incident triggered a one-match suspension.

"We have a duty to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and the action taken in this matter demonstrates that," CA's head of integrity and security Sean Carroll said in a statement.

Pattinson's ban opens the door to Mitchell Starc to play in the Test at Brisbane starting Thursday.

The two were seen to be competing for one bowling slot to partner Josh Hazelwood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon.

"I made a mistake in the heat of the moment," said Pattinson, who admitted the offence.

"Straight away I realised I was in the wrong, and I apologised immediately, both to the opponent and to the umpires. 

"I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I'm gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine."

CA said no replacement will be called up for the Test squad.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Anthony Devlin

Australia have left pace bowler James Pattinson out of their 12-man squad for the second Ashes Test against England, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood vying for recalls.

Pattinson was part of the team that won by 251 runs at Edgbaston, taking two wickets in his first Test in three years.

But the 29-year-old will sit out at Lord's, leaving Starc and Hazlewood to push their cases. Australia chose to rest him due to history of back problems.

Read | Three reasons why England can win the second Ashes Test

The series-opener was Pattinson's first Test in more than three years.

His absence leaves what appears to be a straight choice between Starc and Hazlewood. Australia could recall both and rest Peter Siddle.

England is expected to give a Test debut to quick Jofra Archer in place of the injured James Anderson. Archer played a starring role in England's World Cup triumph last month.

Read | England drop Moeen and call-up Leach, Archer for second Ashes Test

Australia’s squad for second Ashes Test:

Tim Paine (C & WK), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Saeed Khan

Fast bowler James Pattinson and opener Marcus Harris were among Cricket Australia's nationally contracted players announced Monday, but there was no room for Cameron Bancroft, Peter Siddle, or Marnus Labuschagne.

The list of 20 men's players offered deals for the 2019-2020 season on the basis of their performances over the past 12 months also included, as expected, Steve Smith and David Warner despite neither padding up during the period.

They were omitted last year after being banned over the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Bancroft, who was suspended for nine months over the same incident, missed out.

"We believe the 2019-20 contract list provides us with a versatile group of players who can represent Australia across all three formats over the contract period," said chief selector Trevor Hohns.

"Our key criteria focused on selecting a pool of players who are going to help us in our ambition to win the upcoming World Cup and Ashes series in England, and who can also play the various formats over the course of the Australian summer."

Others to be overlooked included Joe Burns and Kurtis Patterson. They, along with Labuschagne, recently played Test cricket. Matt Renshaw, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Andrew Tye, Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Agar, who previously had contracts, did not have them renewed.

Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, who wasn't on the list last year, made the grade, but Pattinson was the biggest surprise having battled back from back surgery at the end of 2017.

The minimum value of a contract last season was Aus$286,000 (US$222,000). This year's figure was not released.

Contracted list: Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Alex Carey, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.