The Thrills and Spills of the Big Bash Draft Day
“Get Ready for the Thrills: Everything You Need to Know About the Overseas Player Drafts for BBL|13 and WBBL|09, from Dates to How to Tune In!”
When is the Draft?
Mark your calendars! The draft for both leagues is set to rock Melbourne this Sunday, September 3.
Excitingly, it’s the Weber WBBL’s debut overseas player draft and the KFC BBL’s second round!
How Can I Watch It?
Don’t miss the action! Catch the drafts live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports. WBBL draft kicks off at 5.30pm AEST, followed by the BBL draft at 7pm AEST.
For all the latest updates, highlights, and news, stay tuned to Cricket.com.au, our CA Live app, and our social channels.
How Does the Draft Work?
Here’s the scoop: Both the WBBL and BBL follow the same rules. Clubs will select players in four rounds.
Clubs must draft a minimum of two and a maximum of three overseas players.
In the first round, only Platinum players are up for grabs. WBBL offers 25 platinum players, and BBL boasts 23.
Round two features Platinum and Gold tier players. Round three brings Gold and Silver tier players into the spotlight, and round four wraps it up with Silver and Bronze tier players.
Remember, every club must pass at least once during the draft.
How Many Players Are in the Pool?
Get ready for a whopping 489 overseas players from 19 countries competing for a spot in the draft. From cricketing giants to countries like Greece and Romania, it’s an international showdown!
In the WBBL|09 draft, there are 116 players in contention, while the BBL|13 draft pool includes a whopping 373 men.
Who Gets the First Pick?
In the WBBL, the Sydney Thunder secured the top pick after a weighted lottery in July.
For the BBL, it’s the Melbourne Stars who will lead the way this year.
Keep in mind that the first two rounds of the draft follow the lottery order, but the third round reverses it. For instance, in the BBL draft, the Stars lead in the first two rounds, then flip the order in the third, and claim the first spot again in the fourth round. It’s all pa
rt of the excitement!
Any Trades?
This year, the Big Bash introduced the exciting ability for clubs to trade picks ahead of the draft in both leagues. In a somewhat under-the-radar mid-year deal, the Sixers and Thunder engaged in the WBBL’s first-ever trade. They swapped picks in the third and fourth rounds: the Sixers sent picks 18 and 31 to the Thunder and received picks 24 and 25 in return.
Can Teams Keep Players from Last Year?
Absolutely! Teams have the option of using a “Retention pick,” and each club can employ it once per draft. However, there are rules governing retention picks: they must be used in the same round, and a club can only use it if they haven’t already selected a player in that round. To add to the excitement, clubs have a tight 45-second time limit to activate their retention pick. This rule is set to influence how the draft unfolds; for instance, the Perth Scorchers hold retention rights for Marizanne Kapp and Sophie Devine but can only retain one of them, as they have pick three in the WBBL draft this year.
How Are Retention Rights Determined?
Players become eligible for retention if they meet one of the following criteria:
- Have been in a Big Bash team squad for a minimum of two seasons and haven’t been contracted to another team since.
- Have been in a Big Bash team squad in the previous season.
- Were in a team squad last season but did not play and have been approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee.
- Are otherwise approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee due to exceptional circumstances.
Eligible retained players are color-coded in our interactive player lists for the WBBL and BBL drafts.
What Is Player Availability Like?
In WBBL|09, player availability is excellent, with most players fully available for the entire season. However, in the BBL, things get more complex due to international commitments and rival T20 leagues. Availability was a significant factor in last summer’s BBL draft, with clubs favoring players with greater availability over big names who could only play limited matches.
Of the 23 Platinum players in the BBL this year, only one, England’s Tymal Mills, is available for the entire tournament. Players with T20 commitments in the UAE league, for instance, will be available until the end of the regular season. Our interactive table provides details on player availability and commitments.
What Are the Draft Salary Bands?
| Band | WBBL | BBL |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | $110k | $420k* |
| Gold | $90k | $300k |
| Silver | $65k | $200k |
| Bronze | $40k | $100k |
For BBL’s Platinum players, salaries may vary based on availability. Players with full availability receive the full $420,000. For 10 matches, it’s reduced to $400,000, and down to $380,000 for nine matches. Players participating in up to eight matches will earn $360k.
This season sees significant increases in cash for all tiers, following the new Memorandum of Understanding between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association. The BBL’s maximum Platinum salary is up 23.5% from last year, gold tier salaries have risen 15%, and the silver tier has seen a 14% increase. The bronze band remains the same as last season.
Under the MOU, the ‘total payment pool’ for WBBL clubs has doubled to more than $732,000 per team, while BBL clubs now have a player payment pool of $3 million each.
Who are the Platinum BBL Draft nominees?
| No. | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gus Atkinson | England |
| 2 | Sam Billings | England |
| 3 | Harry Brook | England |
| 4 | Joe Clarke | England |
| 5 | Zak Crawley | England |
| 6 | Tom Curran | England |
| 7 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa |
| 8 | Faf du Plessis | South Africa |
| 9 | Martin Guptill | New Zealand |
| 10 | Alex Hales | England |
| 11 | Will Jacks | England |
| 12 | Chris Jordan | England |
| 13 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan |
| 14 | Shadab Khan | Pakistan |
| 15 | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | England |
| 16 | Dawid Malan | England |
| 17 | Tymal Mills | England |
| 18 | Colin Munro | New Zealand |
| 19 | Haris Rauf | Pakistan |
| 20 | Rilee Rossouw | South Africa |
| 21 | Phil Salt | England |
| 22 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan |
| 23 | James Vince | England |
Who are the Platinum WBBL Draft nominees?
| Number | Player Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka |
| 2 | Lauren Bell | England |
| 3 | Tazmin Brits | South Africa |
| 4 | Alice Capsey | England |
| 5 | Kate Cross | England |
| 6 | Nida Dar | Pakistan |
| 7 | Sophie Devine | New Zealand |
| 8 | Deandra Dottin | West Indies |
| 9 | Richa Ghosh | India |
| 10 | Sarah Glenn | England |
| 11 | Shabnim Ismail | South Africa |
| 12 | Marizanne Kapp | South Africa |
| 13 | Harmanpreet Kaur | India |
| 14 | Amelia Kerr | New Zealand |
| 15 | Heather Knight | England |
| 16 | Hayley Matthews | West Indies |
| 17 | Nonkululeko Mlaba | South Africa |
| 18 | Jemimah Rodrigues | India |
| 19 | Deepti Sharma | India |
| 20 | Stafanie Taylor | West Indies |
| 21 | Chloe Tryon | South Africa |
| 22 | Pooja Vastrakar | India |
| 23 | Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa |
| 24 | Issy Wong | England |
| 25 | Danni Wyatt | England |
‘Direct Nominations’ Explained
In the intriguing world of cricket drafts, there’s an interesting twist in the process for the WBBL. This year, the league has introduced a unique mechanism that allows players to bypass the draft and negotiate directly with a club after the draft concludes.
This innovative approach is a first for the WBBL and offers players an alternative to the traditional draft system. While it certainly removes the element of uncertainty that comes with waiting to be selected, there is a trade-off. A player who chooses to make a ‘direct nomination’ can only receive a maximum salary of 95 percent of the silver tier, capping their earnings at $61,750 for WBBL|09.
So, who are the players taking advantage of this direct route to team selection? Among them are the England trio of Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, and Amy Jones. They are joined by South Africa’s dynamic duo, Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee, as well as New Zealand’s cricket sensation, Suzie Bates.
Clubs interested in securing a player through this direct process will only be able to select two players via the standard draft. This intriguing twist adds a layer of strategy and decision-making for both players and clubs in the ever-evolving landscape of cricket drafts. The WBBL|09 promises to be an exciting showcase of talent, both through the traditional draft and these direct nominations.
