BBL Draft 2022: How does it work?

The Cricketer explains the new Big Bash overseas player draft, which is set to take place on Sunday, August 28

The Cricketer | 25/08/2022 at 10:10

The inaugural BBL Draft will take place on Sunday, August 28 ahead of the tournament's twelfth instalment in December.

The new draft for overseas players will see all eight BBL clubs take turns to pick from a pool of international players that include the likes of Jason Roy, Rashid Khan and Faf du Plessis.

In the past 11 Big Bash League tournaments, clubs would typically negotiate directly with the players and their respective agents.

But now, as BBL12 appears on the horizon, all overseas cricketers who wish to play in the tournament have had to put themselves forward for the draft. They have subsequently beeen placed into four salary bands: platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.

Why is it happening?

In years gone by the BBL has been under fire for its inability to attract the world's best T20 talent due to competing global leagues. But now, with the addition of the draft and an increase in the pay available, BBL officials are confident of a resurgence.

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^{Alex Hales is available in the Big Bash draft [Getty Images]}

How does it work?

There will be four rounds of the draft, with each of the eight clubs permitted one pick in each round. The clubs may elect to pass in certain rounds, but each club must take a minimum of two picks, and a maximum of three.

The first round will consist of platinum players only, and round two to four will follow a snaking order. Categories for the latter stage of the round will be as follows:

• Round 2: Platinum or gold

• Round 3: Gold or silver

• Round 4: Silver or bronze

The order of the draft was determined through a weighted lottery system. The first three picks were presented to the clubs that missed last year’s finals (Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars).

The remaining picks went to the five finalists from BBL11 (Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes).

Who's up for grabs?

There's a wealth of talent in this year's BBL Draft, and the 12 platinum-level players are listed below:

Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

Jason Roy (England)

Liam Livingstone (England)

Sam Billings (England)

Kieron Pollard (West Indies)

Andre Russell (West Indies)

David Willey (England)

Shadab Khan (Pakistan)

Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)

Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Chris Jordan (England)

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

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^{Trent Boult is a platinum player [AFP via Getty Images]}

What about retentions?

Each of the eight clubs is entitled to one retention pick. To be eligible for retention, an overseas player must have been named in the XI or as an X-factor player for at least one game during BBL11.

Which English players are involved?

England-registered players eligible for retention are: Tom Abell (Brisbane Heat), Sam Billings (Sydney Thunder), Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers), Chris Jordan (Sydney Sixers), Daniel Worrall (Adelaide Strikers)

Other English players: Tom Banton, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Luc Benkenstein, Alex Blake, Solomon Budinger, Joey Evison, Luke Fletcher, Ben Geddes, Nicholas Gubbins, Hasseb Hameed, Tom Lawes, David Lloyd, Adam Lyth, Wayne Madsen, Tom Moores, Daniel Moriarty, Samit Patel, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Darren Stevens, David Willey, Rob Yates

When will the draft take place?

Sunday, August 28 is the slated date for the draft, which is scheduled to take place following the conclusion of the first Dettol ODI between Australia and Zimbabwe in Townsville.