Photo Credit: BCCI
Forty-nine players from across the globe have secured their places on Big Bash League club lists at this weekend’s Weber WBBL|10 and KFC BBL|14 Drafts.
A pair of English superstars were secured first in each event, with spin bowler Sophie Ecclestone and batter Ben Duckett headlining the WBBL and BBL Drafts respectively.
Ecclestone’s selection came in dramatic circumstances, being the first of three players drafted by the Hobart Hurricanes with their coveted Pick 1, only for each to be retained by their previous club. Ecclestone will line up for the Sydney Sixers once again, with fellow early picks Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder) and Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers) also returning to their previous homes for WBBL|10.
After three attempts, the Hurricanes secured Danni Wyatt at the Platinum level, with Deandra Dottin (Melbourne Renegades), Deepti Sharma (Melbourne Stars), Jemimah Rodrigues (Brisbane Heat) and Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers) also drafted in the first round.
The BBL Draft was dominated early by batters. Duckett’s selection by the Stars followed by James Vince returning to the Sixers via a Retention Pick, Laurie Evans shifting to the Renegades, Shai Hope joining the Hurricanes and Pre-Signed Players Colin Munro (Heat) and Finn Allen (Scorchers) being allocated to Round 1 Picks. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson and all-rounder Jamie Overton were the Thunder and Strikers’ first recruits respectively.
Throughout both Drafts, all 16 Pre-Signed Players were allocated, while four Retention Picks were also activated by clubs, blocking rivals from poaching top overseas talent.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
“The League congratulates and welcomes the 49 overseas players recruited across the eight clubs via the Weber WBBL|10 and KFC BBL|14 Drafts.
“The Big Bash remains a destination of choice for the world’s best players, as reflected by the calibre of nominations received and the players recruited today. We thank all players and their agents who put themselves forward for this year’s Drafts.
“We also congratulate and thank our clubs on the preparation for the event and the quality of lists they have compiled, and to Seven and Foxtel for their hard work in bringing the Drafts to life.”
Weber WBBL|10 Draft Results:
- Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers, Platinum, Retention Pick)
- Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder, Platinum, Retention Pick)
- Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers, Platinum, Retention Pick)
- Danni Wyatt (Hobart Hurricanes, Platinum)
- Deandra Dottin (Melbourne Renegades, Platinum)
- Deepti Sharma (Melbourne Stars, Platinum)
- Jemimah Rodrigues (Brisbane Heat, Platinum)
- Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Chloe Tryon (Hobart Hurricanes, Gold)
- Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Shabnim Ismail (Sydney Thunder, Platinum)
- Pass (Adelaide Strikers)
- Shikha Pandey (Brisbane Heat, Gold)
- Amy Jones (Perth Scorchers, Gold)
- Hemalatha Dayalan (Perth Scorchers, Silver)
- Pass (Brisbane Heat)
- Alice Capsey (Melbourne Renegades, Gold)
- Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder, Gold, Pre-Signed Player)
- Yastika Bhatia (Melbourne Stars, Silver)
- Smriti Mandhana (Adelaide Strikers, Silver, Pre-Signed Player)
- Pass (Sydney Sixers)
- Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes, Gold, Pre-Signed Player)
- Pass (Hobart Hurricanes)
- Hollie Armitage (Sydney Sixers, Bronze)
- Orla Prendergast (Adelaide Strikers, Bronze)
- Pass (Melbourne Stars)
- Georgia Adams (Sydney Thunder, Bronze)
- Pass (Melbourne Renegades)
- Nadeine De Klerk (Brisbane Heat, Bronze, Pre-Signed Player)
- Pass (Perth Scorchers)
KFC BBL|14 Draft Results:
- Ben Duckett (Melbourne Stars, Platinum)
- James Vince (Sydney Sixers, Platinum, Retention Pick)
- Laurie Evans (Melbourne Renegades, Platinum)
- Lockie Ferguson (Sydney Thunder, Platinum)
- Shai Hope (Hobart Hurricanes, Platinum)
- Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers, Platinum)
- Colin Munro (Brisbane Heat, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Finn Allen (Perth Scorchers, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Tom Curran (Melbourne Stars, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Jacob Bethell (Melbourne Renegades, Gold)
- Ollie Pope (Adelaide Strikers, Gold, Pre-Signed Player)
- Chris Jordan (Hobart Hurricanes, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Sam Billings (Sydney Thunder, Platinum, Pre-Signed Player)
- Paul Walter (Brisbane Heat, Gold)
- Pass (Perth Scorchers)
- Akeal Hosein (Sydney Sixers, Gold, Pre-Signed Player)
- Pass (Sydney Sixers)
- Matthew Hurst (Perth Scorchers, Silver)
- Pass (Brisbane Heat)
- Fabian Allen (Adelaide Strikers, Silver)
- Pass (Hobart Hurricanes)
- Sherfane Rutherford (Sydney Thunder, Silver)
- Tim Seifert (Melbourne Renegades, Gold, Pre-Signed Player)
- Usama Mir (Melbourne Stars, Silver)
- Pass (Melbourne Stars)
- Pass (Melbourne Renegades)
- Pass (Sydney Thunder)
- Rishad Hossain (Hobart Hurricanes, Bronze)
- Pass (Adelaide Strikers)
- Tom Alsop (Brisbane Heat, Bronze)
- Keaton Jennings (Perth Scorchers, Bronze)
- Jafer Chohan (Sydney Sixers, Bronze)
Brisbane Heat coach Johan Botha said he was very pleased to secure three international recruits which will have full availability.
“Col Munro is just a great fella to have around and we have had Tom Alsop on our radar over the past 18 months, so excellent to secure the players we were looking at,” Botha said.
The Heat had picks 6, 14, 19, 30 in today’s BBL Draft with last season’s top order bat and captain Colin Munro recruited as a pre-draft signing for two years. He was taken in the first round of the Draft as a Platinum signing.
Summarising the Draft, Perth Scorchers MBBL Head Coach Adam Voges said:
“We had Finn Allen pre-signed coming into today, which was a big part of our strategy. We needed a top-order player and Finn’s going to fit that role really nicely.
“Matty Hurst is a really exciting young talent who’s a wicketkeeper, as well, so he can play that back-up role should we need it.
“Keaton Jennings is an experienced cricketer, a left-hander who’s a top-order player.
“All in all, we filled a couple of the roles we think we’ll need throughout the tournament at some stage.
“I think we saw last year when we lost a couple of our internationals at the back end of the tournament that limited availability did have an effect, so we’ve certainly prioritised the availability piece this year.
“Clearly we would’ve loved to have kept Laurie Evans but once we did the Finn Allen deal, we knew there was a chance he’d be taken by another team.”
Perth Scorchers WBBL Head Coach, Becky Grundy, said:
“We are extremely delighted with our three Draft selections in Soph, Jonesy and Hemalatha.
“Soph and Jonesy returning is a massive positive for us, they were both fantastic for us last season and offered so much value both as players and leaders in our group.
“We are excited to welcome Hemalatha into the squad, she is an explosive top order player who we think will complement our group nicely.
“We cannot wait to see how they all perform during WBBL|10.
Perth Scorchers batter, Beth Mooney, said:
“Soph, Jonesy and Hemalatha round out our squad beautifully, so overall we are very happy with how things have panned out for us in the Draft.
“Obviously a great result for us to get Soph as our pre-signed player, as well as welcoming back Jonesy, who was very effective for us in the middle order last season.
“Hemalatha is a really exciting top order batter who I think can take the WBBL by storm, I have been lucky enough to play alongside her at the Gujarat Giants, and I have been very impressed with the way she goes about it.
“Something we value at the Scorchers is team culture, and I think she is someone that will fit into the group perfectly. We can’t wait to welcome her into the squad.
