Pakistan's premier fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was the crown jewel of the BBL Overseas Player Draft, going as the No.1 pick to Brisbane Heat, marking his first full-season availability in the tournament. Afridi will headline a fearsome pace attack alongside Spencer Johnson, Michael Neser, and Xavier Bartlett, making Heat one of the title favorites on paper.
The Pakistani contingent made headlines across the board, with Haris Rauf retained by Melbourne Stars after a challenge from Adelaide Strikers, and Mohammad Rizwan snapped up by Melbourne Renegades despite the presence of Tim Seifert. Overall, seven Pakistani players were selected in the draft — the most from any overseas nation.
Adelaide Strikers, after narrowly missing out on Rauf, turned to England’s Luke Wood as their platinum pick and later added Hasan Ali to bolster their pace department. Meanwhile, Sydney Thunder traded up in the second round to secure Shadab Khan, the globe-trotting legspinning allrounder, who will now play for his fourth different BBL franchise.
Among other eye-catching picks, Sydney Sixers picked Sam Curran at No.7 and retained Lockie Ferguson. Hobart Hurricanes selected uncapped USA allrounder Hassan Khan and young Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain, while Renegades added the experienced England keeper-batter Joe Clarke and fringe USA player Hassan Khan, whose rise has been closely monitored by Cricket Victoria.
Brisbane Heat Retain Jemimah Rodrigues In WBBL Draft
In the WBBL Overseas Draft, Amy Jones emerged as one of the top stories. The in-form England wicketkeeper-batter was selected by Melbourne Stars, after their initial attempts to grab Jemimah Rodrigues and Danni Wyatt-Hodge were thwarted by retention picks from Heat and Hurricanes respectively. Perth Scorchers, who had the right to retain Jones, opted not to, allowing Stars to land a high-impact player.
The Sydney Sixers made the most surprising move by choosing England’s Sophia Dunkley with the No.1 pick — a decision that left world No.1 bowler Sophie Ecclestone available for Adelaide Strikers, who didn’t hesitate to snap her up. Strikers also brought back Laura Wolvaardt and Tammy Beaumont, adding experience and stability to their top order.
Meanwhile, Thunder arguably built the most balanced overseas unit, retaining Heather Knight, pre-signing Chamari Athapaththu, and drafting South African pacer Shabnim Ismail in the final round.
Hobart Hurricanes confirmed the pre-signing of Nat Sciver-Brunt and retained Wyatt-Hodge, adding England spinner Linsey Smith to deepen their spin stocks. The Perth Scorchers, after missing out on some top names, retained Sophie Devine and made a surprise gold-tier pick in Paige Scholfield, along with veteran South African allrounder Chloe Tryon.
Notably, Melbourne Renegades were the only side to pick fewer than three players due to a shoulder injury ruling out pre-signing Hayley Matthews. They will have the opportunity to add one more overseas player later from the undrafted pool.
