Renegades announce two massive signings

The KFC Big Bash League will see the debut of not one, but two Afghanistan players this summer with Melbourne Renegades today revealing they've recruited star allrounder Mohammad Nabi.

The signing of Nabi, drafted in as a late replacement for mystery spinner Sunil Narine who has pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons, comes after Adelaide Strikers announced in September that fellow Afghan Rashid Khan will play for them in BBL|07.

Rashid and Nabi are set to be the first two players from Test cricket's newest nation to play in the BBL.

Nabi, the third-ranked T20 International allrounder on the ICC charts, will be replaced by hard-hitting West Indian Kieron Pollard for the back-end of the tournament.

"Everyone speaks very highly of his game," Finch said of Nabi, who bowls "crafty" off-spinners.

"(He) can smack them with the bat, so good all-round package."

The 32-year-old Nabi has been called in for the first seven games of the season before Pollard takes his spot for the final three matches.

Veteran Pollard returns to Australia for his fifth BBL stint, with his first four coming with the Strikers.

Fellow Caribbean star Dwayne Bravo will return to the Renegades and is expected to be available for the whole tournament.

Nabi and Pollard join evergreen 42-year-old batsman Brad Hodge and promising youngster Will Sutherland as the franchise's major off-season signings.

Finch believes the club's elder statesman in Hodge and 46-year-old gun-for-hire Brad Hogg can help turn the tide.

"When you do have a couple of guys over 40 there's always going to be some questions marks," he said.

"But experience wins T20 games and I think when you get to the business end of the tournament ... they can create a really good energy around the side in terms of winning close games."

The Finch-less Renegades fell four runs shy of chasing down their cross-town rivals' total of 141 in a BBL warm-up game at the MCG on Friday.