England superstar Sophie Ecclestone has been chosen as the No. 1 pick in the WBBL overseas player draft, with the Sydney Sixers securing the spinner with their retention pick.
The Hobart Hurricanes, fortunate to receive the coveted first pick in a weighted lottery, called Ecclestone’s name first up in Sunday afternoon’s draft, but the Sixers didn’t hesitate using their retention pick for the 25-year-old.
The Hurricanes also attempted to poach England captain Heather Knight and South African opener Laura Wolvaardt, but they were retained by the Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers respectively.
However, the Perth Scorchers chose not to retain England batter Danni Wyatt after the Hurricanes called her for their fourth choice.
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The complete list of nominations was revealed on Wednesday, with 432 men and 161 women from 30 nations throwing their hat in the ring for this summer’s Big Bash.
Availability will once again be an issue – while the likes of Jofra Archer and Ben Duckett are up for grabs, they won’t feature in the finals series if they’re snapped up.
The WBBL Draft got underway at 3pm, with the WBBL Draft commencing immediately afterwards.
WBBL DRAFT PICKS
1. Sydney Sixers — Sophie Ecclestone (ENG)
2. Sydney Thunder — Heather Knight (ENG)
3. Adelaide Strikers — Laura Wolvaardt (RSA)
4. Hobart Hurricanes — Danni Wyatt (ENG)
5. Melbourne Renegades — Deandra Dottin (WI)
6. Melbourne Stars — Deepti Sharma (IND)
7. Brisbane Heat — Jemimah Rodrigues (IND)
8. Perth Scorchers — Sophie Devine (NZ)
9. Hobart Hurricanes — Chloe Tryon (RSA)
10. Sydney Sixers — Amelia Kerr (NZL)
11. Melbourne Renegades — Hayley Matthews (WI)
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BBL DRAFT PICK ORDER (First round)
1. Melbourne Stars
2. Melbourne Renegades
3. Sydney Thunder
4. Hobart Hurricanes
5. Adelaide Strikers
6. Brisbane Heat
7. Perth Scorchers
8. Sydney Sixers
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