Form guide: The Aussies dominating BBL|09

Top order batters

As ever, it's been the batters at the top of the order who have dominated the early stages of the KFC BBL.

Sydney Thunder duo Callum Ferguson (248 runs at a strike rate of 141.71) and Usman Khawaja (168 at 133.33) have five fifties between them, while Strikers opener Jake Weatherald (204 runs at 150.00) and Sixers young gun Josh Philippe (173 runs at 120.13) have also shown positive signs opening the innings.

There’s the usual suspects in Aaron Finch (166 runs at a strike rate of 139.49) and D'Arcy Short (120 runs at 123.71), who haven’t quite been at their big-hitting best but are still among the top 20 run-scorers in the tournament so far.

And then there's Chris Lynn (123 at a strike rate 166.21), who’s been well below his best but did produce the innings of the tournament, an extraordinary knock of 94 from just 35 balls against the Sixers.

With Australia's top three of Finch, David Warner and Steve Smith seemingly settled ahead of this year's World Cup, the best chance these top order guns have of making that tournament could come in Australia's middle order, meaning those openers on the fringes will be desperate to show their ability to bat at all stages of the innings.

Middle order batters

A move down the order to No.4 has done little to dampen the impact of Strikers skipper Alex Carey (205 runs at a strike rate 130.57), who has shown why he's so highly regarded with a strong start to the tournament.

His Strikers teammate Jon Wells (187 at 140.60) has also thrived in the specialist No.5 position to make an unlikely push for a World Cup berth, while Glenn Maxwell has marked his return to cricket with a blistering 129 runs at a strike rate of 186.95 for the Stars.

Maxwell would be favoured to take the No.4 spot in the Australian side at the World Cup, while Carey looks likely to slot in at either No.5 or No.6. But the identity of the final batter in the top six remains a mystery; incumbents Ben McDermott (88 runs at a strike rate of 97.77) and Ashton Turner (83 at 113.69) haven’t been in top form early in the tournament, which could open the door to a batting bolter, or another allrounder ...

Allrounders

The incumbent No.7 in the Australian T20 side, Ashton Agar hasn’t been at his absolute best so far in the tournament (four wickets and 30 runs in five matches) and the Scorchers will need more from him as they look to climb up the table.

On a pace-bowling allrounder front, Mitchell Marsh (145 runs at a strike rate 142.15) has made a strong return from a wrist injury with the bat and will surely get better with the ball as he gets back into his bowling groove. Batting at No.5 for the Scorchers, Marsh has clubbed nine sixes in the tournament so far – the equal-second most of all batters – underlining his power late in the innings.

At the top of the order, Marcus Stoinis (213 runs at a strike rate of 122.41) has made a prolific start to the tournament with the bat as he aims to force his way back into Australia’s one-day and T20 sides. The high point was a match-winning 81no against the Hurricanes, although he’s yet to be sighted at the bowling crease after a heavy workload earlier in the season.

Spinners

Australia’s incumbent T20 leg-spinner Adam Zampa (7 wickets at an economy rate of 7.22) has made a strong start for the Melbourne Stars and will form a two-man spin attack alongside Agar on Australia’s upcoming ODI tour of India.

Zampa appears the frontrunner to be Australia’s main wrist spinner at the T20 World Cup, although Scorchers veteran Fawad Ahmed (7 wickets at economy of 7.10) has also impressed to keep alive his faint hopes of a return to the international fold at the age of 37.

And having been overlooked for the Indian one-day tour, we’re tipping Test tweaker Nathan Lyon will be looking to prove himself when he returns to the BBL with the Sixers later this month.

Fast bowlers

There’s a host of pace bowlers jostling for the BKT Golden Cap as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, but the man leading the way so far is uncapped left-armer Daniel Sams, who has 12 wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 7.59.

In second spot is Sixers quick Sean Abbott, who has 11 wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 7.40. But it’s not all good news for the right-armer, who has been ruled out for a few weeks – and Australia’s ODI tour of India – due to injury.

Elsewhere, the usual suspects in Kane Richardson (8 wickets at an economy rate of 6.05), Riley Meredith (8 wickets at 5.79) and Ben Dwarshuis (7 wickets at 6.82) have pushed their names forward with strong starts to the tournament, and while Nathan Coulter-Nile has taken just two wickets in three games, his economy rate of 6.80 is also among the best of the quicks.

And don’t forget injury-plagued allrounder James Faulkner; the left-armer has taken seven wickets at an average of just 6.71 and an economy rate of less than six runs an over, sending a reminder of his quality in the shortest form of the game.

Australia's pace spearheads Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins won’t make an appearance in the BBL this year, but the race to join them in Australia's World Cup squad next year is well and truly on.