The Big Bash League has unveiled the first list of nominations for the KFC BBL|15 and Weber WBBL|11 Overseas Player Drafts, with Lockie Ferguson, Heather Knight, Shabnim Ismail and Alex Hales among the names eligible for retention by Sydney Thunder.
Ferguson, Knight, Ismail and Hales headline first wave of Draft nominations
Ferguson made a big impact in lime green during BBL|14, taking eight wickets in six matches — many of them crucial breakthroughs in the powerplay.
Knight returned for her third WBBL season in Thunder colours and made her presence known. The English star piled on 226 runs at an average of 45.20 and was recognised with the Alex Blackwell Medal as Sydney Thunder’s Player of the Season.
Drafted in the third round of the WBBL|10 Draft, Ismail delivered plenty of standout moments — taking 10 wickets and holding on to eight catches as Thunder charged through to the Challenger Final.
Thunder’s all-time leading BBL run-scorer, Alex Hales (2005 runs at 34.56), went undrafted in BBL|14. Could a return be on the cards for Hales, who last wore the lime green in BBL|13?
More player nominations and international pre-signings will be revealed in the lead-up to the Draft. Keep up to date with all Draft related news through the Big Bash App.
Nominations announced today for the BBL|15 and WBBL|11 Drafts are below:
KFC BBL|15 Draft first nominations:
|
Name |
Country |
Retention eligible |
|
Sam Curran |
England |
No |
|
Alex Hales |
England |
Yes (Sydney Thunder) |
|
Lockie Ferguson |
New Zealand |
Yes (Sydney Thunder) |
|
Tim Southee |
New Zealand |
No |
|
Shaheen Afridi |
Pakistan |
No |
|
Shadab Khan |
Pakistan |
No |
|
Haris Rauf |
Pakistan |
Yes (Melbourne Stars) |
|
Mohammad Rizwan |
Pakistan |
No |
|
Kusal Perera |
Sri Lanka |
No |
|
Shamar Joseph |
West Indies |
No |
Weber WBBL|11 Draft first nominations:
|
Name |
Country |
Retention eligible |
|
Lauren Bell |
England |
No |
|
Sophie Ecclestone |
England |
Yes (Sydney Sixers) |
|
Heather Knight |
England |
Yes (Sydney Thunder) |
|
Danni Wyatt-Hodge |
England |
Yes (Hobart Hurricanes) |
|
Shikha Pandey |
India |
Yes (Brisbane Heat) |
|
Jemimah Rodrigues |
India |
Yes (Brisbane Heat) |
|
Fatima Sana |
Pakistan |
No |
|
Shabnim Ismail |
South Africa |
Yes (Sydney Thunder) |
|
Chloe Tryon |
South Africa |
Yes (Hobart Hurricanes) |
|
Deandra Dottin |
West Indies |
Yes (Melbourne Renegades) |
This season’s draft has been brought forward to June to provide club’s more certainty about player selection as they use the available recruiting mechanisms to build their lists for the season to come.
With nominations now closed, 601 overseas players have put their names forward to be part of the WBBL and BBL seasons.
A nomination for the Draft indicates a player has not been pre-signed by any club.
Ahead of last season, Sydney Thunder locked in Sam Billings - England (BBL) and Chamari Athapaththu - Sri Lanka (WBBL) as their overseas pre-signings, with both players committing to three-year deals.
Despite not being pre-signed, players eligible for retention may still be selected with their previous club’s retention pick in the Drafts.
For all information on the Draft including date, time, rules and pick order – CLICK HERE