Quinton de Kock to make his BBL debut with the Melbourne Renegades

Quinton de Kock, an aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman from South Africa, will debut in the Big Bash League later this year after being selected by the Melbourne Renegades as one of their two picks in the international draught. The first three Renegades games will conflict with South Africa’s home T20Is and ODIs against India in December, so it will be interesting to watch how his schedule is handled. Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the other selection for the Renegades.

The BBL and WBBL foreign draught consists of four rounds in which each team may select a minimum of two and a maximum of three players. Players fall under the Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories. Teams can only select platinum players in the first round, platinum and gold players in the second, gold and silver players in the third, and silver and bronze players in the fourth, according to the rules. Additionally, each team must succeed in at least one of the four rounds.

The Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan was sought after by the city’s neighbors Stars, who went first in the draught, but Adelaide Strikers invoked their retention option to reclaim him. Then, Strikers chose Adam Hose in the championship round and Jamie Overton, who finished as this year’s men’s Hundred MVP, as their gold players. Stars chose the dynamic English batsman Harry Brook for their golden choice and Usama Mir of Pakistan for their requirement for a leg spinner. Additionally, Haris Rauf (Gold) was brought in.

The in-form Tom Curran was the target of the Hobart Hurricanes, but Sydney Sixers turned them down and kept him. The Hurricanes then selected Chris Jordan with their first-round pick. Alex Hales, who just announced his retirement from international competition, is a well-known name in the BBL. Colin Munro, who scored 278 runs in eight games last season at a remarkable strike rate of 150.27, was re-signed by Brisbane Heat.

Men’s BBL Overseas draft

Sydney Thunder took a chance at the maiden WBBL foreign draught by selecting Marizanne Kapp as their platinum selection, and to their satisfaction, Perth Scorchers decided not to use the retention option. Kapp, who formerly played for Thunder’s rivals Sixers, is returning to Sydney.

In order to keep Sophie Devine, the Scorchers were forced to make the difficult decision to release Kapp. The New Zealand captain was selected by the Melbourne Renegades, who were given the second pick, but the Scorchers used their retention option. After losing out on Devine, Renegades signed West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur, the only Indian player selected in the draught. 

However, they were unable to re-sign Shabnim Ismail, who was selected first overall by the Hobart Hurricanes in the platinum round. Amelia Kerr, a familiar choice for Brisbane Heat, was selected while Chloe Tyron, a South African all-around player, was selected by Sydney Sixers. Both Nicole Bolton, who has retired, and the injured Sophie Ecclestone will not be playing for the Sixers.

When Adelaide Strikers decided not to participate in the first platinum round and invite any of its stars from the previous season, it was a curious choice. However, they had Laura Wolvaardt in mind for a comeback and activated their retention option as soon as Melbourne Stars selected her in the second round.

Prior to that, Stars made an intriguing first-round selection by selecting the talented 19-year-old Alice Capsey and middle-order batter Maia Boucher. The selection of Heather Knight, the captain of England, and Lauren Bell, a 22-year-old pacer who hasn’t competed in the tournament previously, completes Thunder’s coup along with Kapp.