Fast bowlers Jofra Archer, Lungi Ngidi, and Haris Rauf are among the 432 male cricketers who have nominated themselves for the BBL 2024-25 player draft, scheduled for September 1.
Ahead of the league’s second draft, 161 overseas women have also put their names forward for the WBBL 2024 overseas draft, including 19 players from India.
However, player availability will be a crucial factor when the eight clubs convene to select their teams.
In both overseas drafts, players have been asked to categorize their availability into one of four options: full availability including finals, full regular season availability, 6-9 games, or 4-6 games.
Archer has declared himself available for the full regular season, as England’s men’s white-ball schedule does not overlap with the BBL until a five-T20 series in India starting on January 23, just two days after the BBL league phase ends.
While Archer could make a potential return to the Australian league for the first time since its eighth edition, clubs may be cautious about his selection due to his injury history and the need for fitness/workload clearance from the ECB.
South Africa’s Ngidi may present a similar challenge for team managements.
His compatriots, Tabraiz Shamsi and Reeza Hendricks, who are available for 6-9 games, will also need to return in time for the third edition of the SA20, which typically begins in the second week of January.
Meanwhile, Archer’s fellow English pacers, including Reece Topley, Jamie Overton, Paul Walter, and Brydon Carse, have indicated full availability, including the finals week.
Rauf, who is eligible for retention by the Melbourne Stars, has only nominated a 6-9 game window and the finals, due to Pakistan’s white-ball tour of South Africa in December.
The availability of several league regulars could be impacted by South Africa Women hosting England for a multi-format series starting November 24, which coincides with the end of the WBBL league phase.
Former South African pace spearhead Shabnim Ismail, eligible for retention by Hobart Hurricanes, remains a key attraction given her full availability, while England’s Kate Cross and Lauren Filer will only be available for the league phase.
Nonetheless, South African opener Tazmin Brits and allrounder Sune Luus have declared themselves available for the entire competition, while England captain Heather Knight, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones, Alice Capsey, and Sophia Dunkley are expected to miss the finals if selected in the draft.
India Women will be hosting New Zealand for three ODIs after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE on October 20, making most of the players from these countries available only for 6-9 games and the finals.
Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma are among the 19 Indians who have entered their names.
Meanwhile, England’s men’s Zak Crawley and England women’s pacer Dani Gibson have withdrawn their nominations ahead of the draft.
All eight clubs in both the BBL and WBBL have exercised the option of making pre-draft overseas signings.
The contracted players are listed below:
| Team | WBBL | BBL |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Strikers | Smriti Mandhana (IND) | Ollie Pope (ENG) |
| Brisbane Heat | Nadine de Klerk (SA) | Colin Munro (NZ) |
| Hobart Hurricanes | Lizelle Lee (SA) | Chris Jordan (ENG) |
| Melbourne Renegades | Hayley Matthews (WI) | Tim Seifert (NZ) |
| Melbourne Stars | Marizanne Kapp (SA) | Tom Curran (ENG) |
| Perth Scorchers | Sophie Devine (NZ) | Finn Allen (NZ) |
| Sydney Sixers | Amelia Kerr (NZ) | Akeal Hosein (WI) |
| Sydney Thunder | Chamari Athapaththu (SL) | Sam Billings (ENG) |
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