BBL|12 preview: Experience, spin keys to 'Gades revival

It has been somewhat of a tumultuous KFC BBL|12 for the Renegades already and the games haven't even begun. 

Hopes of a resurgence up the ladder took lift off when the club selected Liam Livingstone with the first ever pick in the BBL Draft, but an unexpected Test call up for England cut his Big Bash stint short before he withdrew from the tournament completely due to his increased international workload.

Regardless, expectations at the Renegades for BBL|12 remain high and after a busy offseason the club is targeting a return to finals following three consecutive wooden spoons.

Experience has been the key addition.

Big Bash stalwarts Jon Wells and Peter Handscomb, along with Tassie quick Tom Rogers are the new local additions, with global stars Andre Russell, Martin Guptill, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Akeal Hosein the overseas recruits.

It means the average career T20 games played of the Renegades squad has soared from 93 in BBL|11 to 117 in BBL|12.

Guptill, New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer in T20 internationals, will join Aaron Finch, Australia's all-time leading run-scorer in T20 internationals, at the top of the batting order for the last 10 games of the season and finals should they qualify.

The addition of Wells also gives the Renegades three of the top six all-time BBL run scorers in their squad.

Russell will play the opening four games of the campaign, before Guptill replaces him for the final 10 matches of the regular season and finals. Draftees Mujeeb and Hosein with both play the first half of the tournament before leaving for the UAE's new T20 league.

BBL|11 result: Last 

BBL|12 Draft picks: Liam Livingstone* (1st – Platinum), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (9th – Gold), Akeal Hosein (25th – Bronze). * – withdrawn 

Squad: Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Nic Maddinson (c), Shaun Marsh, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Tom Rogers, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jon Wells. Replacement players: Ruwantha Kellapotha (Sri Lanka), Andre Russell (West Indies), Martin Guptill (New Zealand), David Moody

Ins: Akeal Hosein, Corey Rocchiccioli, Peter Handscomb (Hobart Hurricanes), Martin Guptill, Tom Rogers (Hobart Hurricanes), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat), Jon Wells (Adelaide Strikers), Ruwantha Kellapotha, Andre Russell (Melbourne Stars) 

Outs: Cameron Boyce (Adelaide Strikers), Unmukt Chand, Zahir Khan, Josh Lalor, Mohammad Nabi, James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, Reece Topley, Jono Merlo, James Seymour

Possible best XI: Aaron Finch, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Nic Maddinson, Jon Wells, Peter Handscomb (wk), Will Sutherland, Akeal Hosein, Tom Rogers, Kane Richardson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman  

Possible best XI for first game: Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Nic Maddinson, Jon Wells, Andre Russell, Sam Harper (wk), Will Sutherland, Akeal Hosein, Tom Rogers, Kane Richardson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman  

Inside word with Renegades coach David Saker 

The experience rebuild 

"We've obviously assessed our last three seasons and the performances have been way below par. There's been different reasons for that. It's not all about experience. It's not all about the players we had. We just had to do something, so we've changed our list quite a lot and we'll probably have five or six different names in our first game than we had the year before. 

"We've recruited Jonathan Wells and Tom Rogers to bolster (the) experience, Peter Handscomb more as a backup player and (that means) we're not looking to some of our younger players to perform as much as they probably needed to in the last few years. But to be brutally honest our overseas performances over the last few years have been really poor and I think our overseas players this tournament are great additions to our group."

The draft picks and replacements 

"We probably didn't see (Liam Livingstone's Test call up) coming and he definitely didn't see coming, but it's a big loss. But those things happen, and we've moved on. I think our replacements for him have been excellent, so unfortunately, we've lost him but that's the game. 

"(Our overseas players) are proven, particularly Mujeeb is a proven Big Bash player and Akeal Hosein, his reputation keeps getting better every time he plays. Andre Russell and Martin Guptill are two great signings so just looking at that you feel way more confident you're going to get some output from them."

The young guns 

"It probably means that there's not as many positions as well for them so one or two of those younger players maybe miss out. But again, when you've got competition for places, you generally get good results from your team. So I think they're in the understanding that it's going to be tough to break into the team but they're really big on this squad mentality. 

"The squad at the back end of the tournament is where we're going to win it. It'd be great to get off to a good start and when we get into a final situation, we need our whole squad to be playing well (because) when some of the players leave, injuries, your squad depth will be tested and hopefully that's when the younger players can come in and make an impact." 

Who keeps? 

"You can read how you want to read into (the Handscomb signing) but Harps (Sam Harper) will play our first game as our wicketkeeper. Where we bat him we don't know but Petey has been brought in as a backup wicketkeeper but as more experience, he's a very good head around the dressing room. When you look at all the players that are out there available to do a job a bit like what we're wanting from Pete as a backup wicketkeeper, he's the best option.

"So we're really rapt to have him on board but unless something drastic (happens), he won't probably start in our first game and Sammy will do that job. But again, going back to a competitive environment, Sammy will be under pressure and I hope all our players are under pressure. And to perform at this level on TV, you're under pressure anyway, so let's see how it pans out but if Sammy is still keeping it at the back end of the tournament, he's had a good tournament." 

Spin to win? 

"We've looked at a lot of things and Mujeeb particularly is hard to play square of the wicket. Marvel (Stadium) is obviously very short square so if you want to take him on square of the wicket, good luck. Akeal is just a really clever bowler that has also been hard to hit square of the wicket. We just thought spin overs in T20 cricket, they've got great economy rates, they take wickets, mystery spinners, particularly Mujeeb again, will get you wickets when you need them and he can bowl really deep into the innings. He can bowl (overs) 18, 19 or even 20 If you need them.

"We're really confident we've got a really good group of bowlers; Tommy Rogers obviously coming into the group makes a difference and Will Sutherland has been bowling the house down in Shield cricket and we just hope that transfers a little bit into our T20 cricket. We're really happy with our squad and having good spinners in our group makes a huge difference and takes a lot of pressure off the over rate; you're not going to be put under too much pressure at the back end." 

What is success for the 'Gades in BBL|12? 

"Every competition that I'm involved in, I'm trying to win it and I've got no doubt that this group is capable of winning it. We've got to take some big steps forward to do that and we all know how difficult a task is going to be. But we've got a lot of things in place that are going to help us get to where we want (to be). 

"A positive would be to make the finals and then we go from there. But I'm looking to win it, Maddo (captain Nic Maddinson) is looking to win it, there's not a player in our group that doesn't want to win it and all our talk will be about trying to win the tournament ... there's no way we ever look at a tournament saying that we can't win it."

Player to watch 

"Will Sutherland is a player that has made some big steps forward in his Shield cricket. He's made a hundred in Shield cricket … so we're thinking he'll make some big steps in T20. Mackenzie Harvey and Jake (Fraser-McGurk) are at a stage now that they need to put their hand up and have some breakout seasons. 

"But I don't want to push one player, I think some of our senior players have got to really put their hand up. We're looking at Sos (Shaun Marsh), Finchy and Maddo to be those leaders, Kane (Richardson) with the ball, and then the younger players can feed off that and have contributions that help us win games."

Biggest threat 

"There's no doubt the Scorchers on paper and the way they performed the last few years are the best team. The Scorchers are a standout, the rest are pretty close, so there's not a huge difference between the second placed team and the eighth placed team and that's why it's such a brutal competition and T20 cricket is such a fickle game. You're never that far away from being the best and you're never that far away being the worst. I think from second to eighth it's going to be so tight, so it's important to bank some wins early in the tournament."