Shamar Joseph could return to the scene of his triumphant start to Test cricket after nominating for the BBL while India captain Harmanpreet Kaur is among the first group of players confirmed for the WBBL draft.
Initial batches of ten names for both the BBL and WBBL were released on Monday after nominations closed ahead of the drafts which will take place on September 1. New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson is among them having opted out of a central contract and could join Finn Allen in the tournament after his signing with Perth Scorchers was confirmed .
England captain Heather Knight has nominated alongside left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone who is currently the No. 1-ranked bowler in both ODIs and T20Is. However, England players won't be available for the entire tournament due to a tour of South Africa from late November.
Players being included in the nominations list also confirm that they have not been signed under the pre-draft mechanism but 14 of the 20 are eligible for retention by their teams. That includes South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt who has been part of back-to-back titles with Adelaide Strikers. Harmanpreet can also be retained by Melbourne Renegades. From India, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma have also been confirmed in the draft.
Other notable retention options include Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers), Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), James Vince (Sydney Sixers), Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars) and Shabnim Ismail (Hobart Hurricanes). Although Danni Wyatt withdrew from last season's WBBL, she is eligible for retention by Perth Scorchers having originally been signed in the draft.
Schedule clashes will again be a key issue in the BBL. West Indies have a Test series starting against Pakistan starting on January 16 and after his Gabba heroics Joseph said he would always be available for Tests although his current availability is stated as full including finals. Meanwhile Vince and Hales are among those who have deals in the ILT20 which will start on January 11. Overton was also retained in the ILT20 but is currently down as having full BBL availability.
Players are drafted in either Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze categories and clubs must select at least two during the draft. Those signed under pre-draft agreements are allocated a pick that matches their salary band. The gaps in the pre-draft signings are expected to be fill in the coming days.
The WBBL runs from October 27 to December 1 and the BBL from December 15 to January 27.
BBL nominations
(retention eligibility in brackets)
Laurie Evans (Perth Scorchers), Lockie Ferguson, Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), Shamar Joseph, Shadab Khan, Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers), Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars), Jason Roy, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Melbourne Renegades), James Vince (Sydney Sixers)
WBBL nominations
(retention eligibility in brackets)
Suzie Bates (Sydney Sixers), Alice Capsey (Melbourne Stars), Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers), Shabnim Ismail (Hobart Hurricanes), Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers), Danni Wyatt (Perth Scorchers)
Confirmed pre-draft signings
Adelaide Strikers: -
Brisbane Heat: Nadine de Klerk, Colin Munro
Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan
Melbourne Renegades: Hayley Matthews, Tim Seifert
Melbourne Stars: Marizanne Kapp, Tom Curran
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine, Finn Allen
Sydney Sixers: Amelia Kerr
Sydney Thunder: Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Billings
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