BBL announces player draft ahead of season 12

Cricket Australia has moved to breath life into the Big Bash League by introducing a BBL Draft.

The draft will give clubs the opportunity to recruit up to three overseas players to their squad lists for the upcoming season.

Players from all over the world can now nominate for the draft following conversations with players and agents.

CA's General Manager of Big Bash League's Alistair Dobson said BBL 12 is shaping up to be the most hotly anticipated season yet.

“The Draft is designed to attract the best available players, excite fans for the upcoming season and provide new opportunities for Clubs and the League. We look forward to announcing the first group of nominations soon."

There will be four categories in which players can be selected on Draft night: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Salaries for each category have been set at globally competitive rates, with Platinum the highest player payment.

The Draft order will be decided via a weighted lottery. The three teams to miss the Finals in KFC BBL|11 will be entered in the first weighted lottery to determine selections one, two and three. The five finalists from last season will then be drawn for selections four to eight.

The Draft will consist of four rounds with one pick per Club in each. Clubs may elect to pass in certain rounds, but each Club must pick a minimum of two and maximum of three players by the completion of round four.

Round one is for Platinum players only and will follow the draft order drawn via the above method. Round two will follow the same order as round one, after which rounds three and four will follow a snaking order.Each club is entitled to one Retention Pick to be used in any round of the Draft.

A player is eligible for retention if they have played a match for that Club the previous season.

Each Club’s BBL squad will comprise of 18 players, including two or three overseas players from the Draft and the remainder being domestic players.

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