Big Bash launches replacement player pool to tackle Covid-19 outbreaks

Teams will be able to draw from a select pool of players, who can represent multiple sides, in an attempt to reduce the disruption caused by Covid-19

The Big Bash League has launched a replacement player pool to help tackle Covid-19 outbreaks and player unavailability for the remainder of the tournament.

The virus has wreaked havoc on the BBL in recent weeks with every club having at least one player test positive for Covid-19. Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat have been worst affected, each losing upward of a dozen players and support staff to isolation over the New Year.

Fixtures have also been postponed as teams struggled to source replacement players while the remainder of the tournament has now been shifted to Victoria to allow for greater scheduling flexibility.  

A centralised pool of replacement players is latest step taken by the competition’s organisers in an attempt to minimise Covid-related disruptions, with eight players identified as replacement options at present.

Each player in the pool will live under BBL hub protocols and has been assigned a 'home' club for logistical purposes.

^{Justin Avendano representing Sydney Sixers [Chris Hyde/Getty Images] and Melbourne Stars [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images] in BBL11}

They can then be contracted by any club as a local replacement player, meaning an individual could represent multiple franchises in BBL11. Last week, Justin Avendano became the first male player to represent two clubs in a single season in Big Bash history after turning out for both Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers as a replacement signing.

Players from outside the pool cannot be signed as local replacements unless approved by the BBL Technical Committee but any replacements added prior to this announcement can remain with their clubs. Additional players are expected to be added to the initial eight-man pool over the course of this week.

Nicholas Bertus (Sydney Sixers), Jake Carder (Perth Scorchers), Iain Carlisle (Hobart Hurricanes), Daniel Drew (Adelaide Strikers), Jake Doran (Melbourne Stars), Lachlan Hearne (Sydney Thunder), Lachlan Pfeffer (Brisbane Heat) and Brayden Stepien (Melbourne Renegades) are the players named in the initial replacement pool.

Alistair Dobson, general manager of the Big Bash said: "The player pool provides clubs with increased options should injury, illness or other circumstances affect availability of players, while also streamlining the process of integrating LRPs into the group from a biosecurity perspective."