Cricket Australia, on Monday, announced the names of the players who have registered themselves for the upcoming season's draft, slated to take place on Sunday, August 28. The high-profile players in the draft include Trent Boult, Shadab Khan, Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis who are a part of the platinum players list for the BBL overseas draft.
The platinum list consists of the best players in the draft, with 12 players making the cut. These are du Plessis, Roy, Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings, Kieron Pollard, Russell, David Willey, Shadab, Dwayne Bravo, Rashid Khan, Chris Jordan, and Boult. The platinum players will be paid AU$340,000 (US$233,853 approx.) regardless of how many games they play.
Of the list mentioned above, Billings (Sydney Thunder), Russell (Melbourne Stars), Shadab (Sydney Sixers), Jordan (Sydney Sixers) and Rashid (Adelaide Strikers) are available for retention by their clubs from the 2021 season. But, only Willey and Shadab are not yet involved in either the inaugural South Africa league or UAE's ILT20 league.
Those heading to the new tournaments will likely be available for the BBL till late December, but the details are still being confirmed.
The biggest name of the lot is New Zealand's Trent Boult, who is among the most significant, having recently stepped away from his central contract. Even though his availability will be limited, his wicket-taking skill with the new ball and at the death, along with his left-arm angle, will likely make him sought after in the first round of the draft where only platinum players are available.
Rashid is another player who is almost certain to be retained, with the Strikers expected to bring back the star spinner or risk losing her to another club.
In total, there are 26 players eligible for retention, which also includes James Vince (Sixers), Alex Hales (Thunder) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (Brisbane Heat), who are likely to be in the gold category. Players can decide which band to nominate themselves in.
