The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) overseas players draft on September 1 kicked off with the picks and retention of players, as all eight teams aimed to finalize their squads ahead of the tenth edition of the WBBL. A total of 25 players were drafted among the eight teams. In this article, we go through the list of players selected from each country ahead of the upcoming edition of the WBBL.
England – 7 Players
In the WBBL draft, England had the most players picked, with a total of seven. The Sydney Sixers secured English spinner Sophie Ecclestone by retaining her in the first round. This will be the second consecutive season for the number one T20I bowler with the Sixers. The current English skipper Heather Knight was another notable pick, having been retained by the Sydney Thunder in the first round. Danni Wyatt was the third English player to be picked in the first round, with the Hobart Hurricanes drafting the English opener, who will represent her third WBBL team.
In the second round, current English wicket keeper-batter Amy Jones held on to the Perth Scorchers, marking her second consecutive edition with the team.
The third round of the WBBL draft saw only one English player being picked, with batting all-rounder Alice Capsey being selected by the Melbourne Renegades.
In the fourth round of the draft, English all-rounder Hollie Armitage was drafted by the Sydney Sixers, while the Sydney Thunder signed Georgia Adams in the same round.
India – 6 Players
The WBBL draft saw six Indian players being picked. The first-round picks included star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who was the fourth pick of the day by the Melbourne Stars. It will be the second stint for Deepti Sharma in the WBBL, having represented the Sydney Thunder in the 2021/22 season. Later on, Jemimah Rodrigues was picked by the Brisbane Heat, becoming the seventh player to be selected in the first round. The Brisbane Heat will be the third team Jemimah Rodrigues represents in the WBBL.
In the second round, Shikha Pandey was picked by the Brisbane Heat, marking her first stint in the Women’s Big Bash League. Left-handed batter Dayalan Hemalatha was picked by the Perth Scorchers in the third round, followed by the signing of wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia by the Melbourne Stars in the same round.
Smriti Mandhana, who had been pre-signed by the Adelaide Strikers, was named in the third round. This will be the fourth season for the Indian opener in the WBBL.
South Africa – 6 Players
In the first round of the WBBL draft, Laura Wolvaardt was the first South African player to be drafted, with the South African skipper being retained by the Adelaide Strikers.
Proteas all-rounder Chloe Tryon was picked by the Hobart Hurricanes in the second round. In the same round, star pacer Shabnim Ismail, who is currently in great form across franchise tournaments, was roped in by the Sydney Thunder. This marks her third season with the Sydney Thunder, having represented the team in two previous seasons. South African pace-bowling all-rounder Marizanne Kapp was also named in the second round after being signed by the Melbourne Stars in the lead up to the draft.
Lizelle Lee, a pre-signed player, was named in the third round by the Hobart Hurricanes.
Nadine de Klerk, another pre-season signing, was the sixth South African to be named in the WBBL draft, confirmed as their 4th and last pick.
New Zealand – 2 Players
Current New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine, a pre-signed player, was named in the first round by the Perth Scorchers. This will be her fifth consecutive season with the Scorchers in the WBBL.
Amelia Kerr was the second White Ferns player to be named in the second round, with the Sixers already securing her services in the pre-season signings.
West Indies – 2 Players
In the second round of the WBBL draft, current West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews was named by the Melbourne Renegades, a pre-season signing. This will be her third consecutive season with the Renegades.
Deandra Dottin, who recently made her comeback to international cricket, was picked by the Melbourne Renegades in the first round, becoming the second West Indies player to be part of the WBBL.
Sri Lanka – 1 Player
Chamari Athapaththu was the only Sri Lankan player to be named in the WBBL draft. The Lankan skipper, who was pre-signed by the Sydney Thunder, was named in the third round. This will be her second consecutive edition with the Sydney Thunder.
Ireland – 1 Player
After an impressive outing in the recent home series against Sri Lanka, Orla Prendergast was picked by the Adelaide Strikers in the fourth round of the WBBL draft. Following this signing, Orla Prendergast became the second Irish player, after Kim Garth, to be part of the WBBL.