LAHORE: Big Bash has revealed a lineup of 25 platinum men's players who are eligible to be picked in the initial two rounds of the upcoming BBL draft yesternday.

Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and fast bowler Haris Rauf are amongst the three players who have been included in the platinum category ahead of the BBL draft. The 25 players in the platinum category's list feature Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Shadab Khan, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Joe Clarke, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Tom Curran, Colin Munro, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Chris Jordan, Harry Brook, James Vince, Will Jacks, Zac Crawley, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Nicholas Pooran.

Players selected with a platinum pick in the BBL|13 Draft will pocket up to $420,000 this season. According to the BBL Draft rules, only the 25 platinum players are eligible for selection in the first round, while both platinum and gold-tier players can be chosen in the second round of the draft. Previously, The Melbourne Stars have expressed interest in retaining Haris Rauf for BBL|13, and his remarkable Big Bash record speaks for itself. He holds 30 wickets at an average of 16.40 from 18 matches, putting him on the radar of selectors. Moreover, Shadab Khan, who has previously played in BBL|07 with Brisbane Heat and BBL|11 with Sydney Sixers, aims for his fourth BBL campaign before his journey with the Hurricanes last summer was cut short by injury after taking seven wickets in five matches.

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.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 31 2023

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