The inaugural overseas draft in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) took place on Sunday, September 3 with a few of the biggest names getting picked while some were ignored. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was the only Indian player picked in the WBBL draft after star opener Smriti Mandhana had pulled out from the draft to focus on the domestic season. Harmanpreet, who was the player of the tournament in WBBL 07, will return to the Melborune Renegades side in the 2023-24 edition.
Among others to get picked, South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp was the first one to find a home as Sydney Thunder picked her while Perth Scorchers retained their skipper Sophie Devine. New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr will turn out for Brisbane Heat again, while England skipper Heather Knight will be playing for Thunder, who probably had the best three picks including pacer Lauren Bell. Laura Wolvaardt was retained by Adelaide Strikers and pacer Shabnim Ismail will ply her trade for the Hobart Hurricanes.
Chamari Athapaththu, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deandra Dottin were some of the big names, who didn’t find any takers but there is direct nomination set to take place on Monday and they could find a team then.
As far as the BBL draft was concerned, Harry Brook and Haris Rauf will return to the BBL after missing the last edition and they will both play for the Stars. While Rauf will be returning for the Men in Green, Brook will play foir the Glenn Maxwell-led side for the first time having played for the Hurricanes in the past. Stars went for Rashid Khan first up, who was retained by the Strikers and they ended up getting Pakistan spinner Usama Mir in the side.
Zak Crawley will turn out for the Perth Scorchers for the first time with Brisbane Heat getting back both their star players Colin Munro and Sam Billings. Another star signing was done by the Hurricanes, who got veteran England pacer Chris Jordan in the squad.
Sydney Thunder
Women – Marizanne Kapp, Heather Knight, Lauren Bell
Men – Alex Hales, Zaman Khan
Adelaide Strikers
Women – Laura Wolvaardt, Dani Gibson
Men – Rashid Khan, Jamie Overton, Adam Hose
Brisbane Heat
Women – Amelia Kerr, Bess Heath
Men – Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Paul Walter
Hobart Hurricanes
Women – Shabnim Ismail, Bryony Smith
Men – Chris Jordan, Sam Hain, Corey Anderson
Melbourne Stars
Women – Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier
Men – Harry Brook, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir
Melbourne Renegades
Women – Hayley Matthews, Harmanpreet Kaur
Men – Quinton de Kock, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Sydney Sixers
Women – Chloe Tryon, Jess Kerr
Men – Tom Curran, James Vince, Rehan Ahmed
Perth Scorchers
Women – Sophie Devine, Danni Wyatt
Men – Zak Crawley, Laurie Evans
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