Pakistan stars included in BBL 15 overseas draft list
The draft is scheduled to take place on June 19, with the Brisbane Heat holding the No. 1 pick
Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled the first overseas draft list for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) season 15, featuring prominent Pakistani cricketers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan.
The draft is scheduled to take place on June 19, with the Brisbane Heat holding the No. 1 pick.
Joining the Pakistani quartet in the initial 10-player list are England’s Sam Curran and Alex Hales New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee, Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera, and West Indies’ rising pace sensation Shamar Joseph.
Meanwhile, the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) draft nomination list also includes notable international stars. India's Shikha Pandey and Jemimah Rodrigues, West Indies’ Deandra Dottin, and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana are among the early nominees.
England is strongly represented by Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, while South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon have also been listed.
For the first time, the BBL and WBBL drafts have been advanced to June to give franchises greater clarity for squad planning.
According to a CA statement, over 600 overseas players have expressed interest in participating in the two leagues.
Several teams have already made moves to shape their squads through pre-signings.
Notable signings include Jamie Overton and Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers), Colin Munro and Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat), Chris Jordan (Hobart Hurricanes), Tim Seifert and Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades), Tom Curran and Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars), Finn Allen and Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers), Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers), and Sam Billings and Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder).
As it stands, the Hobart Hurricanes have yet to announce a pre-signed player for the WBBL, while the Sydney Sixers have not confirmed any pre-signings for the BBL.
The Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers will have the first picks in the BBL and WBBL drafts respectively. Both drafts will consist of four rounds, with each team receiving one pick per round.
Players will be selected based on one of four overseas salary bands: Platinum (Rounds 1–2), Gold (Rounds 2–3), Silver (Rounds 3–4), and Bronze (Round 4 only).
Teams must make at least three selections, including any pre-signed players, and are allowed to pass once.
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