Cricket Australia on Tuesday released the complete list of overseas players registered for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) drafts, set to take place on June 19. The WBBL draft will take place first, followed by the BBL draft.
According to Cricket Australia, more than 600 players from across the cricketing world have been nominated for the BBL and WBBL drafts, making it one of the most competitive pools to date. Specifically, 178 players from England, 74 from Pakistan, 42 from the West Indies, 13 from Sri Lanka, and one from India have been nominated for the BBL draft. Former India quick Siddarth Kaul is the only Indian nominated for the BBL draft.
Pakistan’s quartet of Mohammad Rizwan, seamers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and all-rounder Shadab Khan are part of the first overseas draft list. England’s Jofra Archer, Zak Crawley, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Reece Topley and former quick James Anderson feature in the draft list. New Zealand’s Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson and Kane Williamson are also a part of the draft. However, Williamson will be available for only three matches.
The other notable BBL nominees include Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera, West Indies quick Shamar Joseph, and Bangladesh’s crafty pacer Mustafizur Rahman. In the WBBL, India’s troika of Shikha Pandey, Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues have been nominated. The other notable names include the West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana, who have also been included.
England’s Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge are also on the list, as are the South African pair of Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon. The Heat and Sixers will each have the first selection in the BBL and WBBL drafts this season, respectively. Each draft comprises four rounds, during which every team makes one selection.
Teams have the option of choosing a player who has made themselves available for selection in one of four foreign player salary bands: Platinum (round 1 or 2), Gold (round 2 or 3), Silver (round 3 or 4), or Bronze (round 4 only). Teams are allowed to pass once and must utilise at least three selections, including those of pre-signed players.
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