The BBL 2024–25 player draft is set to take place on September 1st, and 432 male cricket players have submitted their nominations, including pacers Jofra Archer, Lungi Ngidi, and Harif Rauf. 161 international women, including 19 from India, have entered the WBBL 2024 abroad draft ahead of the league’s second draft.

Nevertheless, when the eight clubs get down to choosing the teams, player availability will undoubtedly play a significant role. Players have been requested to choose their availability from four categories for both international drafts: full availability including finals, full availability during the regular season, 6-9 games, and 4-6 games.

With no overlap in their white-ball itinerary until a five-T20 series in India starting on January 23, two days after the BBL league phase concludes, Archer has committed to playing the entire regular season for England. Although the English speedster may be headed for his first return to the Australian league since its eighth edition, the teams may be cautious about selecting him due to his injury history and the ECB’s subsequent fitness/workload clearance.

The administration of the teams may encounter a similar predicament with Ngidi from South Africa. Reeza Hendricks and Tabraiz Shamsi, two of his countrymen who are also available for 6–9 games, will also have to return in time for the third SA20 tournament, which usually begins in the second week of January.

However, Archer’s fellow English pacers, including Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Reece Topley, and Paul Walter, have stated that they will be available for play right up until finals week.

Given Pakistan’s December white-ball tour of South Africa, Rauf, who is also eligible for retention by the Melbourne Stars, has only nominated a 6-9 game window and finals.

Several league regulars may not be available as a result of South Africa Women hosting England for a multi-format series beginning on November 24, which also happens to be the last day of the WBBL league phase. Shabnim Ismail, a former South African pace spearhead who is eligible to stay with the Hobart Hurricanes, will be a major draw given her full availability, whereas Kate Cross and Lauren Filer of England will only play in the league phases.

Following the T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates on October 20, India Women will also host New Zealand for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs). As a result, the majority of these teams’ players would only be available for six to nine games before the finals. Three IWC ODIs are scheduled for India to visit Australia; the series won’t begin till the WBBL is over. Among the 19 Indians who have registered are Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur.

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