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Cricket: Pakistan cricketers in demand at 2025-26 Big Bash League player draft

by Devesh Jaganath

image Cricket: Pakistan cricketers in demand at 2025-26 Big Bash League player draft
The 2025-26 Big Bash League is edging closer, and the eight participating franchises are already busy at work assembling the teams they will take to the tournament. The BBL Draft was held on Thursday afternoon, and in a surprise development, Pakistani cricketers were the highlight of the event.

Afridi, Azam, Rizwan drafted for 2025-26 Big Bash League

The 2025-26 Big Bash League will be the 15th edition of the competition and will feature eight teams, all set to battle for Australia’s premier T20 franchise title. Our cricket predictions will be available throughout the competition, so be sure to check them out before the tournament commences. 

Over the years, the BBL has grown exponentially, and franchises have begun to look abroad for talent who they feel will give them the best chance to secure the title, as the Hobart Hurricanes did last year by beating the Sydney Thunder in the final.

To that end, the BBL player draft was expected to be a key moment of the season, and it certainly tossed up a number of surprises, with Pakistani players turning into the highlight of the event, which was held in Melbourne on Thursday. 

In total, 24 overseas players were drafted by the eight competing franchises, including seven Pakistanis, 12 Englishmen, four New Zealanders, and one Bangladeshi. However, the most valuable pick of the draft was the Green Shirts’ star paceman Shaheen Afridi. 

The left-arm quick, who will be available for the entire tournament, having not made the national team, was drafted as the number one pick by the Brisbane Heat, though he was just one of three Pakistani players who were snapped up in the first round. 

Following Afridi’s selection, the Melbourne Stars made the decision to retain the services of bowler Haris Rauf despite interest by the Adelaide Strikers, while the Melbourne Renegades called up Mohammad Rizwan for his first BBL season. 

In the draft rounds that followed, the Sydney Sixers secured the signing of former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, the Sydney Thunder snapped up all-rounder Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali went to the Adelaide Strikers, while the Renegades added a second Shaheen player to their ranks in Hassan Khan. 

2025-26 BBL overseas draft summary 

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The 2025-26 BBL Draft featured over 600 players from various nations. At the end of the entertaining event in Melbourne, the eight participating franchises locked in their selection of overseas players as follows: 

  • Adelaide Strikers: Luke Wood, Jamie Overton, Hasan Ali
  • Brisbane Heat: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Colin Munro, Tom Alsop
  • Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan, Rishad Hossain, Rehan Ahmed
  • Melbourne Renegades: Mohammad Rizwan, Hassan Khan, Tim Seifert
  • Melbourne Stars: Haris Rauf (retained), Tom Curran, Joe Clarke
  • Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen, Laurie Evans, David Payne
  • Sydney Sixers: Sam Curran, Babar Azam, Jafer Chohan
  • Sydney Thunder: Lockie Ferguson (retained), Shadab Khan, Sam Billings

The 2025-26 Big Bash League schedule has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to run over the final few weeks of December and into early 2026.

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