Cricket

The Big Bash League (BBL) and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) have released their respective lists of nominations for the upcoming draft, scheduled for September 1. The BBL list features 432 players, while the WBBL list includes 161 players.BBL Nominations:The Adelaide Strikers have retained Adam Hose, Jamie Overton, and David Payne. The Brisbane Heat have retained Paul Walter and Tom Banton. The Hobart Hurricanes have retained Corey Anderson and Sam Hain. The Melbourne Renegades have retained Joe Clarke, Jordan Cox, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The Melbourne Stars have retained Dan Lawrence, Imad Wasim, Liam Dawson, Olly Stone, Usama Mir, and Haris Rauf. The Perth Scorchers have retained Zak Crawley, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, and Tymal Mills. The Sydney Sixers have retained Izharulhuq Naveed, Rehan Ahmed, and James Vince. The Sydney Thunder have retained Alex Hales, Zaman Khan, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.WBBL Nominations:The Adelaide Strikers have retained Georgia Adams and Laura Wolvaardt. The Brisbane Heat have retained Bess Heath. The Hobart Hurricanes have retained Shabnim Ismail and Bryony Smit. The Melbourne Renegades have retained Eve Jones and Harmanpreet Kaur. The Melbourne Stars have retained Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley. The Perth Scorchers have retained Amy Jones, Lauren Winfield-Hill, and Danni Wyatt. The Sydney Sixers have retained Suzie Bates, Sophie Ecclestone, Jess Kerr, Chloe Tryon, and Linsey Smith. The Sydney Thunder have retained Heather Knight.

The Hobart Hurricanes have secured the first pick in the upcoming Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) draft, following a weighted lottery that favored teams that missed the finals in the 2023-24 season. The Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, Melbourne Renegades, and Melbourne Stars, who all failed to reach the playoffs, were given the first four picks, followed by the four teams that made the postseason.Despite finishing in the bottom two last season, the Melbourne teams were unable to secure the top pick, which went to the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes had a strong draft last year, selecting Shabnim Ismail, Bryony Smith, and Lizelle Lee as a direct nomination.The Perth Scorchers, who were eliminated in the Challenger, will have the last pick in rounds one, two, and four of the draft. However, the order will be reversed in round three. Clubs can trade picks, so the order may change before the draft takes place in September.Last season, the Sydney Thunder used their first pick to select South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp as a platinum player, while the Scorchers opted not to use their retention option. This year, clubs can sign up to four overseas players, including those who join under the new multi-year pre-draft option. New Zealand's Amelia Kerr became the first player to sign under this system, joining the Sixers after leaving the Brisbane Heat.The pre-draft option essentially replaces the direct nominations system used last year. If clubs sign a fourth overseas player, they will become the first overseas replacement. The draft will again feature four price bands: platinum (AU$110,000), gold (AU$90,000), silver (AU$65,000), and bronze (AU$40,000).Next season's WBBL has been reduced to a 40-game regular season to manage the workload of players and boost attendance. The tournament is expected to start shortly after the conclusion of the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, which ends on October 20.Given the proximity of the World Cup to the WBBL season, it remains to be seen how many of the world's leading players will commit to the tournament in Australia.