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The overseas draft of the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL) took place on Sunday, September 1. Some big names from around the globe were picked by eight franchises to represent them in the forthcoming tournament.
Four England and three New Zealand cricketers were picked in the first round of the draft. Dashing opener Ben Duckett was the first pick after being roped in by the Melbourne Stars. In total, 14 English, four Blackcaps and West Indies each, and one Bangladesh and Pakistan players were picked in the draft.
While several big names were roped in by the teams for BBL 2024-25, some heavyweight names were ignored. On that note, let's take a look at the five biggest names to have been overlooked for BBL 2024-25.
#1 Haris Rauf
Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf is one of the most prominent overseas stars in the BBL. He first grabbed headlines in the Big Bash from where he was selected in the Men in Green side.
Despite enjoying significant success in the BBL with 36 wickets in 22 games, Rauf didn't get any buyers in the draft, which came as a shocker to many. What makes it even more surprising is that Rauf has been in good form of late. He was among the wickets in the Major League Cricket and The Hundred. He was last seen in action for the Southern Brave, where he scalped 11 wickets in five matches.
#2 Jofra Archer
Ace England speedster Jofra Archer made himself available for this year's BBL after almost eight years. However, he wasn't considered by any of the eight teams during Sunday's draft.
A career filled with injuries, Archer recently returned to action during the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. He also looked in decent form in The Hundred.
However, the Barbados-born pacer's availability seemed to have played a key role in him going unsold at the draft. He made himself available for only six to nine games ahead of England’s white-ball tour of India beginning January 23. He would have missed the finals if his team had qualified, which seemed to be one of the reasons behind him going unpicked.
#3 Naseem Shah
Another Pakistani player on the list is Naseem Shah. The young right-arm fast bowler has taken the world by storm with his swing and pace. Despite his stocks rising and him being a good option in Australian conditions, Shah didn't get any suitable buyers at the auction.
He was reportedly one of the hot prospects heading into the auction, but his non-selection has stunned many cricket lovers. Shah has picked up 111 wickets in 108 games with the best figures of 5/20.
#4 Alex Hales
English opener Alex Hales has been a consistent feature for the Sydney Thunder in the last five seasons. However, he was surprisingly not picked in this year's draft by any of the teams.
The swashbuckling enjoys an excellent record in BBL having scored 2,360 runs in 78 matches at a strike rate of almost 150, including 16 half-centuries and one hundred.
Many tipped Hales to be picked by any of the eight teams. But with ILT20 clashing with the BBL, the team seemed reluctant to sign the English opener.
#5 Shadab Khan
The leg-spinning all-rounder is the third cricketer from Pakistan to be on the list. While the name could ring a surprise bell to many, Shadab is a proven customer in Australian conditions and his addition would have only boosted the respective squad. Thus, him going unpicked in the draft only adds to the list of surprising choices made by the management.
Shadab is a wicket-taking option in the middle overs and is more than a handy option with the bat. Besides, he is also a gun fielder. He has scalped 14 wickets and scored 78 runs in 12 BBL games, which is a relatively decent sample size for teams to bank on.
