The upcoming Big Bash League draft has hit a snag as two prominent names have pulled out of the tournament, including Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Muhammad Rizwan and West Indies Nicholas Pooran.
Mohammad Rizwan, who is set to play for Pakistan in the Test series against Australia this summer, wouldn’t have been available for the BBL until after that series. Pakistan also has T20 matches against New Zealand starting on January 12. Due to national duties, Rizwan has to withdraw from the tournament.
Nicholas Pooran has prior commitments with a franchise in the UAE’s ILT20 league, which is set to begin on January 19, coinciding with the BBL finals.
Both of these wicketkeeper-batters have been granted Platinum status and were highly anticipated picks. However, neither of them is expected to be available for the entire season of BBL. Most importantly, they won’t be replaced in the Platinum category, leaving a total of 23 players in that band.
Other than Mohammad Rizwan, all-rounder Shadab Khan and fast bowler Haris Rauf are among the three Pakistan players who have been included in the platinum category ahead of the BBL draft.
The BBL|13 Draft is scheduled for September 3, with four rounds, allowing clubs to select a minimum of two and a maximum of three players. The first two rounds will follow the lottery order, while the subsequent rounds will have a ‘snake’ format, which implies that the team picking last in the second round will have the first pick in the third round.
