The Big Bash League (BBL) is one of the T20 competitions under threat of reaching virtual oblivion for best T20 stars amidst an increasingly lucrative market.
One of the leagues under threat by the growing T20 market, Big Bash League (BBL) looks set to introduce an overseas players draft with extended salaries to try and lure the world’s best cricketers.
BBL authorities have confirmed that a separate draft for the prominent stars from abroad will be put to use for the 2022-23 season to arrest the tournament’s declining popularity and evade some of the imminent talent drain.
With multiple private T20 leagues, involving IPL franchises and corporate giants, set to mushroom in UAE, South Africa and the USA next year, Cricket Australia (CA) is trying to ensure the BBL doesn’t become a complete afterthought for overseas players.
CA has already tried to create space in Australia’s following international summers wherein the established Australian cricketers can take part at the back end of the competition at least.
Cricket.com.au reported, the CA and BBL authorities have already signed up a proposal to adapt the overseas draft for world famous T20 stars, with extened salaries encompassing four different categories. Namely, Platinum as the heftiest and most attractive and bronze as the lowest. Regardless of the category a player registers himself in, he will be taking home a six-figure sum from playing in the BBL.
“Cricket Australia is prepared to pay top dollar for the best T20 talent, and league officials will elevate select players who they determine are the most enticing draft prospects to a platinum tier and bolster their salary, even if they are only available for part of the tournament,” reported cricket.com.au.
“Officials believe it’s better to have T20’s global superstars play a portion of the competition than not at all, and hope subsidising the top salaries from a central pool will see clubs take players who may not be available for the entire tournament.”
“CA has not publicly confirmed the salary bands, but it understood that bronze level selections (the lowest salary band) will earn a six-figure sum with the platinum tier worth more than three times that,” he added.
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Players will have to confirm their availability prior to the draft, with the desired category, so as to ensure each BBL club has time and space to plan through the entire drafting procedure, a first of its kind for the 12-year-old league.
BBL will also give each of the eight clubs an option to retain at least one player that turned up for it the previous season.
