68 Pakistani cricketers enter BBL 2024 overseas draft
PHOTO: AFP
68 Pakistani cricketers have entered the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024 men’s overseas draft, featuring a mix of seasoned international stars and emerging talents eager to make their mark on the global stage.
Notable Pakistani players in the draft include Test captain Shan Masood, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, pace sensation Haris Rauf, experienced opener Fakhar Zaman, and rising spinner Abrar Ahmed.
In addition to the new entries, four Pakistani players have been retained by their respective BBL teams for the upcoming season. Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, and Usama Mir will continue with the Melbourne Stars, while Zaman Khan has been retained by the Sydney Thunder.
Cricket Australia (CA) has announced that a total of 593 cricketers have registered for the BBL 2024 drafts, covering both the men’s and women’s competitions. This diverse pool includes 432 men and 161 women from 30 countries, such as Hong Kong, Uganda, Japan, Greece, Indonesia, and Romania.
The BBL 2024 draft is scheduled for September 1, where the eight participating teams—Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Perth Scorchers, and Sydney Sixers—will select their overseas players for the 2024-25 season.
Each team is allowed to pick up to four players, subject to salary cap limits, with one spot reserved for an overseas replacement player. However, only three international players can be included in a team’s primary roster of 18 at any given time during the tournament.
Full list of Pakistani players in the BBL 2024 overseas draft:
Aamer Jamal
Abdullah Shafique
Abrar Ahmed
Ahmed Danyal
Ahsan Bhatti
Ali Asfand
Ali Raza
Ali Shafiq
Arafat Minhas
Asif Ali
Azan Awais
Danish Aziz
Faheem Ashraf
Faisal Akram
Fakhar Zaman
Haris Rauf (retained by Melbourne Stars)
Haris Sohail
Haider Ali
Haseebullah Khan
Hunain Shah
Hussain Talat
Ihsan Ullah
Imad Wasim (retained by Melbourne Stars)
Imam-ul-Haq
Irfan Khan Niazi
Jahandad Khan
Jalat Khan
Khurram Shahzad
Khushdil Shah
Kamran Ghulam
Mehran Mumtaz
Mirza Tahir Baig
Mohammad Haris
Mohammad Nawaz
Muhammad Akhlaq
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Hasnain
Muhammad Imran Jnr
Muhammad Salman Mirza
Muhammad Shehzad
Muhammad Zeeshan
Noman Ali
Naseem Shah
Rumman Raees
Sahibzada Farhan
Saim Ayub
Salman Irshad
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Shadab Khan
Shahnawaz Dahani
Shahzaib Khan
Shan Masood
Siraj Uddin
Sufiyan Muqeem
Tahir Baig
Tahir Hussain
Tayyab Abbas
Umar Akmal
Umar Amin
Usama Mir (retained by Melbourne Stars)
Usman Khan
Usman Qadir
Usman Tariq
Waseem Junior
Zafar Gohar
Zahid Mahmood
Zaman Khan (retained by Sydney Thunder)
Zeeshan Zameer
This year’s BBL draft promises to be an exciting event, with a strong representation of Pakistani talent poised to make a significant impact in one of the world’s most popular T20 leagues.