BBL Draft 2025-26 | Shocking Picks, Full Player List & Team Moves

Who’s in? Who’s out? The Big Bash Draft 2025-26 reveals the biggest names and boldest moves. The BBL 15 Draft happen on Thursday, June 19 in Melbourne. This year, it’s happening earlier than usual to help clubs get the best players before other leagues do. This also gives teams more time to build strong squads.

This article shares all the latest news about the Big Bash League’s 15th draft. You’ll learn how the teams made smart choices and picked their best players for the new season.

BBL Draft date and time

Here is the date and time for the BBL draft this year.

We have covered the draft schedule for this year later in this article. So keep reading.

Note: Check Latest BBL Schedule 2025-26

Where to Watch the BBL Draft?

You can watch the BBL draft live in Australia on these platforms:

You can also follow updates on bblschedule.com and the Big Bash app for news, player picks, and highlights.

Note: Check Updated Points Table

BBL Draft 2025-26 Updated Players List

What is the BBL Draft and How it Works?

The BBL draft is how teams choose their players. It’s not like an auction. Instead, teams take turns picking players one by one. Each team gets to choose a player when it’s their turn.

The draft happens in several rounds. To keep it fair, the order changes in every round. So, the team that picked last in one round gets to pick earlier in the next round.

This way, all teams get a fair chance to build a strong squad for the Big Bash League.

Player Rules and Drafting Requirements

• Minimum Overseas Players: Each team must choose at least three players from other countries during the draft. This number also includes any overseas players the team signed before the draft started.
• Pre-Signed Players: If a team signs a player before the draft, that player won’t show up in the list of names for the regular draft. But the team still needs to use a draft pick that matches the player’s salary level. For example, if they signed a top-level (Platinum) player, they must use their Platinum pick to keep him.
• Passing Rule: A team can skip one draft pick if they want. But by the end of the draft, they still need to have at least three overseas players on their list.

Who will be in the Draft?

Pakistan’s top fast bowler, Shaheen Afridi, is part of the draft. Along with him, famous players like Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan are also on the list.

These names bring excitement to the draft, as fans look forward to seeing their favorite stars play.

Note: Check BBL Squads

BBL Salary Bands – BBL Draft 2025

Players are grouped into four salary bands. Here’s what they can earn:

Platinum salaries depend on how many games a player can play:

Players in the Draft

This year, over 600 international players from 30 countries have signed up for the BBL Draft. There are 440 players available in the BBL 15 Draft pool. You can see the full list and details on the Big Bash app.

BBL 15 Draft Order

The Brisbane Heat won the No.1 pick in the draft. Here’s how the first four rounds work:

• Rounds 1 & 2 follow the order of the lottery
• Round 3 goes in reverse order
• Round 4 returns to the original order

For example, the Heat pick first in rounds 1, 2, and 4, but last in round 3.

Trades and Draft Picks

Teams can trade draft picks. This year, for example:

• Sydney Thunder traded picks 16 and 17 to the Perth Scorchers
• In return, they got picks 12 and 21

Even if a team trades picks, they must still:

• Have four total picks
• Pick at least two overseas players
• Use one pick for their pre-signed player

Retention Picks

Teams can keep one overseas player from last season using a Retention Pick. But there are rules:

• They can only keep one player per draft
• The player must be picked in the same round by another team
• They have just 45 seconds to decide

You can see Match Live Score

Pre-Signed Players for BBL 15

Each team can sign one overseas player ahead of time. These players will play the full season, including finals.

Player Availability

The BBL draft was moved to June to avoid schedule clashes with other T20 leagues like in South Africa and UAE.

Here’s what to know:

• Pre-signed players will play the entire season
• Other players may be available for:
  • Full season including finals
  • Full regular season only
  • 6–9 matches
  • 4–6 matches

Teams may skip big names with limited availability and instead pick players who can play more matches.

Complete Nomination Lists of Players

FAQs – BBL Draft 2025-26