BBL club-by-club guide to recruiting ABdV

Adelaide Strikers

The BBL defending champions are the one team that will not be pursuing AB de Villiers. A Strikers spokesperson said: "The Adelaide Strikers are pleased with our current list and we look forward to welcoming back our internationals Colin Ingram and Rashid Khan. We have worked very hard to build and retain a culture which will bring continued success to the franchise."

Current squad: Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Michael Cormack, David Grant, Colin Ingram (SA), Rashid Khan (AFG), Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Liam O'Connor, Peter Siddle, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald, Jon Wells, Nick Winter.

In: Matt Short (Renegades).

Roster spots to fill: Two

Internationals signed: Two

Brisbane Heat

Chris Lynn has already started the recruitment drive for Brisbane, and while the Heat already have two internationals on their roster, Shadab Khan's rising stocks with Pakistan could see him on national duty throughout BBL|08. Heat General manager Andrew McShea said: "It would remiss of us not to explore the possibility of AB being available for the Heat. Dan and he have had some conversations in the past about opportunities so we will see where things go."

Current squad: Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Sam Heazlett, Shadab Khan (PAK), Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum (NZ), James Pattinson, James Peirson, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson.

In: James Pattinson (Renegades).

Roster spots to fill: Four

Internationals signed: Two

Hobart Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have previously tried to court de Villiers, and have a strong connection with coach Gary Kirsten. He's been a long-term target for Hobart CEO Nick Cummins, going back to his days with the Sydney Thunder. However, with Tymal Mills and Jofra Archer locked in for the coming season, Hobart's hands are somewhat tied. Cummins said: "If one of our overseas players wasn't available then that opens up an opportunity but as it is, we have our two overseas players contracted so we couldn't fit him in. But if one of our guys, Archer or Mills couldn't come for whatever reason, and AB was interested ... then of course you would see. I did note he expressed interest in playing for the Titans this year too so maybe he is just going to play in South Africa, but I'm not sure."

Current squad: Jofra Archer (ENG), George Bailey, James Faulkner, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Tymal Mills (ENG), David Moody, Tim Paine, Tom Rogers, D'Arcy Short, Matthew Wade.

In: James Faulkner (Stars).

Out: Dan Christian (Renegades).

Roster spots to fill: Seven

Internationals signed: Two

Melbourne Renegades

AB de Villiers plays in red and black for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, and could yet end up in red and black in the BBL. Rumours abound the club has parted ways with Dwayne Bravo, and CEO Stuart Coventry said: "We're working through the final make up of our squad at the moment. Obviously, AB de Villiers is an incredible talent and if he was to be available he would be a significant asset to any club."

Current squad: Dan Christian, Tom Cooper, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson, Will Sutherland, Chris Tremain, Beau Webster, Cameron White, Jack Wildermuth.

In: Dan Christian (Hurricanes), Zak Evans, Mackenzie Harvey, Will Sutherland (rookie).

Out: Brad Hodge (retired), James Pattinson (Heat), Matt Short (Strikers).

Roster spots to fill: Three

Internationals signed: Zero

Melbourne Stars

An off-season of upheaval for the Melbourne Stars could well spring an opportunity to land the Proteas legend. The Stars are no stranger to having a marquee superstar in their ranks following Kevin Pietersen's successful tenure with the club, and their current listed squad is light on batting strength. Rumours are swirling the Stars have poached West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo from the Renegades but there is still plenty of room to manoeuvre for the green half of Melbourne. Stars CEO Clint Cooper said: "We would love to see de Villiers in the Big Bash League, and a player of his calibre would obviously be of interest to the Stars." 

Current squad: Michael Beer, Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, John Hastings, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.

In: Nic Maddinson (Sixers).

Out: James Faulkner (Hurricanes), Kevin Pietersen (retired), Rob Quiney (retired), Luke Wright.

Roster spots to fill: Eight

Internationals signed: Zero

Perth Scorchers

The Perth club keeps their cards extremely close to their chest, and have a long-standing tradition of leveraging local talent. There's a strong South Africa expat community in Perth who'd love to see de Villiers in burnt orange, but the Scorchers have other fish to fry first. WACA CEO Christina Matthews said: "AB de Villiers is an exciting player and we would certainly look into it, but our first priority is to find a coach to help with list decisions." Retired player Adam Voges is hotly tipped to fill the Scorchers coaching vacancy created by Justin Langer's move to the Australian men's team.

Current squad: NA

Out: Adam Voges (retired)

Roster spots to fill: Unknown

Internationals signed: Unknown

Sydney Sixers

An early favourite to land de Villiers' signature, the Sixers have wasted little time laying out the platter in a bid to lure him. Sixers general manager Jodie Hawkins told AAP: "Last night, we touched base again with his manager. We hope we'll be in a pretty good position if he wants to come out. From a family point of view, we feel we offer a pretty attractive package in Sydney and he's previously stated his love for the SCG. We're very keen to have him, should he want to come out, but we also realise he said he's keen to play domestic cricket in South Africa."

Current squad: Sean Abbott, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill, Stephen O'Keefe, Henry Thornton.

Out: Doug Bollinger (retired), Nic Maddinson (Stars).

Roster spots to fill: 11

Internationals signed: Zero

Sydney Thunder

Recruiting had been all about luring back Andre Russell for the Sydney Thunder before de Villiers dropped his international retirement bombshell. They have yet to land any signatures, leaving them flexibility to chase the South African should the club decide to make a play. Thunder general manager Lee Germon said: "We're currently working through our overseas options for the upcoming season. Sydney Thunder is always looking to sign high-profile international players and AB de Villiers falls into that category. With both Shane Bond and Mike Hussey over in India for the IPL, it has allowed us to take a closer look at some of our options."

Current squad: Fawad Ahmed, Pat Cummins, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Kurtis Patterson.

Out: Aiden Blizzard (retired).

Roster spots to fill: 11

Internationals signed: Zero