Cricket Australia releases BBL and WBBL draft: A total of 593 players, including 432 men and 161 women, will play for Mandhana's Adelaide Strikers

Cricket Australia (CA) has announced the draft for the Big Bash 2024 men's and women's leagues. A total of 593 players including 432 men and 161 women representing 30 countries have submitted their names for the Big Bash League (BBL) auction. Men's Draft includes Jofra Archer and Haris Rauf The BBL Men's Draft features some of the best fast bowlers in the world, including England's Jofra Archer and Pakistan's Haris Rauf. South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is another high-profile name in the draft pool. Along with him is his compatriot Tabrez Shamsi. Top order batter Riza Hendricks is also included. Smriti Mandhana to play defending champions Indian opener Smriti Mandhana will be seen playing with defending champions Adelaide Strikers in this season of Women's Big Bash League. He has signed a pre-draft overseason contract with the franchise. She became the first Indian player to do so. Apart from Mandhana, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma have also been included in the draft. The 28-year-old Mandhana will be playing for the fourth team in the league's 10-year history. Mandhana was previously part of Brisbane Heat in 2016, Hobart Hurricanes in 2018–19 and Sydney Thunders in 2021. India's vice-captain Mandhana was not part of the league in 2023. He decided not to participate in the league due to workload management and domestic cricket. The current season of the league starts from September 1. Kate Cross and Lauren Filler included in women's draft England's Kate Cross and Lauren Filler are both available for the women's draft for the full season. South African fast bowler Shabnam Ismail, who may be retained by Hobart Hurricanes. Players from 30 different countries were called for this year's BBL draft. It also features players from emerging cricket nations such as Hong Kong, Uganda, Japan, Greece, Indonesia and Romania. The draft also saw the return of many Big Bash icons. Haris Rauf, who can be retained by Melbourne Stars. Nominated for games 6-9 plus finals. His previous stint with the Stars was amazing. He won many matches for Melbourne Stars. Each team must select 2 foreign players in four rounds Each team must select at least two foreign players in four rounds of both drafts. Teams can select their preferred players from the already present foreign players.

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