BBL DRAFT
Shaheen has never played in the Big Bash before. © Getty
Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf were first two picks of the BBL 2025 draft. Brisbane Heat added the left-arm quick from Pakistan to their pace battery that already consists of Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett and Michael Neser. This will be Afridi’s first season in the BBL.
Rauf meanwhile, caused a bit of a jostle as he was Adelaide Strikers’ first choice, but Melbourne Stars wielded their power to retain and brought back the pacer who has picked 36 wickets in 22 games for them in the tournament. Strikers moved on quickly by going for England’s left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood, who has incidentally represented Melbourne Stars in this tournament before.
Another England pacer – Jofra Archer – who made himself fully available for the season, had no takers at the draft.
Melbourne Renegades too added a Pakistan player to their ranks by picking Mohammad Rizwan. “He [Rizwan] comes with a wealth of international experience and … he’ll help control our innings,” said Renegades’ high performance manager Wade Seccombe.
Defending champions Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers took their pre-signings in the first round. The Hurricanes brought back Chris Jordan, who was instrumental in their title win while Scorchers kept faith in Finn Allen, who endured an underwhelming season last year. Just last week, however, Allen blasted a scintillating 151 off 51 deliveries in the MLC. Seventh to pick in the first round, Sydney Sixers went with Sam Curran who is yet to get a taste of BBL. Sydney Thunder then brought back New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson despite injury and availability concerns. Ferguson missed the Champions Trophy this year before returning to action in the IPL. He endured another injury there and had to miss his team’s (PBKS) sojourn to the final.
Other notable picks: Shadab Khan (Sydney Thunder), Jamie Overton (pre-signing, Adelaide Strikers), Sam Billings (Sydney Thunder), Rehan Ahmed (Hobart Hurricanes), Babar Azam (pre-signing, Sydney Sixers), Colin Munro (Pre-signing, Brisbane Heat)
Sophia, Sophie and four retentions in WBBL draft
Sydney Sixers snapped up England opener Sophia Dunkley on the first turn and Adelaide Striker picked Sophie Ecclestone next. The next four picks were all retentions despite heavy interest from other teams. Jemimah Rodrigues went back to Brisbane Heat, Danni Wyatt-Hodge to Hobart Hurricanes, Heather Knight to Sydney Thunder and Deandra Dottin to Melbourne Renegades.
The dramatic first round of the WBBL draft also saw Melbourne Stars pick England’s Amy Jones while Perth Scorchers brought back New Zealand’s Sophie Devine (pre-signing) to their ranks as their first pick. The likes of Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers), Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars), Nat Sciver-Brunt (Hobart Hurricanes) and Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder) were all pre-signed.
Other notable picks: Alice Capsey (Melbourne Renegades), Chloe Tyron (Perth Scorchers), Shabnim Ismail (Sydney Thunder)
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