Big Bash League Fans

So what is the BBL draft, and how does it work? 

The BBL Draft is a process where the 8 franchises gather together and bid on overseas players that they are considering signing for their club.

This draft (in conjunction with the WBBL draft) took place on Sunday 3 September in Melbourne.

The first draft for the KFC Big Bash League was held prior to the 2022-2023 season – so this year’s draft was the second one of its kind.

How does the BBL draft work?

Here is an outline of how the draft actually works:

• Franchises take turns selecting from available players in the draft across four rounds.
• Each franchise must select a minimum of two overseas players and no more than three overseas players as a part of the draft.
• All franchises must pass at least once during the draft.
• Prior to the draft – players are designated in one of four tiers – Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
• Only players who have been designated as Platinum are eligible to be chosen during the first round of the draft. For this current season (2023/2024) – there were 23 Platinum players designated.
• For the second round of the draft, Platinum and Gold players are eligible to be chosen.
• For the third round of the draft, Gold and Silver players are eligible to be chosen.
• For the fourth and final round of the draft, Silver and Bronze players are eligible to be chosen.

Players available in the draft

For the 2023/2024 season:

• 23 players were designated as Platinum (to receive a salary of $420,000 if they are available for the whole season, $400,000 if available for only ten matches, $380,000 if available for only 8 matches, and $360,000 if available for up to eight matches)
• Players in the Gold tier receive a salary of $300,000
• Players in the Silver tier receive a salary of $200,000
• Players in the Bronze tier receive a salary of $100,000
• 373 players in total were available for selection.
• Each franchise has a maximum player payment pool of $3,000,000 for the season

Who are the Platinum players for the 2023/2024 season?

Platinum players are designated by the Big Bash League technical committee prior to the draft taking place. The platinum players for the 2023/2024 season (by country of origin) are listed below:

Afghanistan

• Rashid Khan (Strikers in 2022/2023)
• Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Renegades in 2022/2023)

England

• Gus Atkinson
• Sam Billings (Heat in 2022/2023)
• Harry Brook
• Joe Clarke (Stars in 2022/2023)
• Zak Crawley (Hurricanes in 2022/2023)
• Tom Curran (Sixers in 2022/2023)
• Alex Hales (Thunder in 2022/2023)
• Will Jacks
• Chris Jordan (Sixers in 2022/2023)
• Tom Kohler-Cadmore
• Dawid Malan
• Tymal Mills (Scorchers in 2022/2023)
• Phil Salt (Scorchers in 2022/2023)
• James Vince (Sixers in 2022/2023)

New Zealand     

• Martin Guptill (Renegades in 2022/2023)
• Colin Munro (Heat in 2022/2023)

Pakistan            

• Shadab Khan (Hurricanes in 2022/2023)
• Haris Rauf (Stars in 2022/2023)

South Africa               

• Quinton de Kock
• Faf du Plessis (Scorchers in 2022/2023)
• Rilee Rossouw (Thunder in 2022/2023)

How is it decided which franchise chooses when?

Teams are chosen in lottery fashion – and based on the order chosen – receive the following order of choice:

• Team 1 – Round 1 – first, Round 2 – first, Round 3 – eighth, Round 4 – first (Picks 1, 9, 24, 25)
• Team 2 – Round 1 – second, Round 2 – second, Round 3 – seventh, Round 4 – second (Picks 2, 10, 23, 26)
• Team 3 – Round 1 – third, Round 2 – third, Round 3 – sixth, Round 4 – third (Picks 3, 11, 22, 27)
• Team 4 – Round 1 – fourth, Round 2 – fourth, Round 3 – fifth, Round 4 – fourth (Picks 4, 12, 21, 28)
• Team 5 – Round 1 – fifth, Round 2 – fifth, Round 3 – fourth, Round 4 – fifth (Picks 5, 13, 20, 29)
• Team 6 – Round 1 – sixth, Round 2 – sixth, Round 3 – third, Round 4 – sixth (Picks 6, 14, 19, 30)
• Team 7 – Round 1 – seventh, Round 2 – seventh, Round 3 – second, Round 4 – seventh (Picks 7, 15, 18, 31)
• Team 8 – Round 1 – eighth, Round 2 – eighth, Round 3 – first, Round 4 – eighth (Picks 8, 16, 17, 32)

Can franchises trade their selection order with another franchise? 

For the 2023/2024 season draft, franchises have the ability to trade picks with one another prior to the draft event. No BBL franchises exercised the option to trade picks.

What is a retention pick?

A retention pick enables a franchise to retain an overseas player that they had the previous season. The rules around retention picks are as follows:

• Each franchise has one retention pick available.
• Players are eligible for a retention pick if (any one of the following):
  • They have been in a BBL team squad for at least two seasons, and have not been under contract to a different team since that time. OR
  • They have been in a BBL team squad in the previous season. OR
  • They were in a BBL team squad in the previous season but did not play AND they have been approved by the Big Bash Technical committee. OR
  • They have been otherwise approved by the Big Bash Technical committee due to exceptional circumstances.

2023/2024 Lottery Results

The lottery to determine which team chooses when for 2023/2024 resulted in the following:

• Team 1 – Melbourne Stars
• Team 2 – Adelaide Strikers
• Team 3 – Hobart Hurricanes
• Team 4 – Melbourne Renegades
• Team 5 – Sydney Thunder
• Team 6 – Sydney Sixers
• Team 7 – Brisbane Heat
• Team 8 – Perth Scorchers

2023/2024 BBL Draft results

Round 1 

• Melbourne Stars – Harry Brook (England)
• Adelaide Strikers – Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) (retention pick) 
• Hobart Hurricanes – Chris Jordan (England)
• Melbourne Renegades – Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
• Sydney Thunder – Alex Hales (England)
• Sydney Sixers – Tom Curran (England) (retention pick) 
• Brisbane Heat – Colin Munro (New Zealand)
• Perth Scorchers – Pass

Round 2 

• Melbourne Stars – Harris Rauf (Pakistan)
• Adelaide Strikers – Jamie Overton (England)
• Hobart Hurricanes – Sam Hain (England)
• Melbourne Renegades – Mujeeb ur Rahman (Afghanistan)
• Sydney Thunder – Zaman Khan (Pakistan)
• Sydney Sixers – James Vince (England)
• Brisbane Heat – Sam Billings (England)
• Perth Scorchers – Zak Crawley (England)

Round 3

• Perth Scorchers – Laurie Evans (England)
• Brisbane Heat – Paul Walter (England)
• Sydney Sixers – Pass 
• Sydney Thunder – Pass
• Melbourne Renegades – Pass
• Hobart Hurricanes – Corey Anderson (New Zealand)
• Adelaide Strikers – Pass
• Melbourne Stars – Pass

Round 4

• Melbourne Stars – Usama Mir (Pakistan)
• Adelaide Strikers – Adam Hose (England)
• Hobart Hurricanes – Pass
• Melbourne Renegades – Pass
• Sydney Thunder – Pass
• Sydney Sixers – Rehan Ahmed (England)
• Brisbane Heat – Pass
• Perth Scorcers – Pass
   

Still unsure?

If you have any further questions or comments relating to how the BBL draft works – please comment below.