Scorchers stars Marsh, Salt ruled out of BBL|12

International stars Mitch Marsh and Phil Salt won't play any part in KFC BBL|12 in what shapes as a huge double blow for the Perth Scorchers' title defence.

Marsh underwent keyhole surgery on his left ankle in Sydney yesterday to remove loose bone fragments and repair cartilage and is expected to be sidelined for about three months.

The T20 World Cup winner has already spent time on the sidelines this summer after suffering an ankle injury during the Australia's ODI series against Zimbabwe in Townsville, and only returned to full fitness ahead of the home World Cup in mid-October.

He had been primed for a full tournament with the Scorchers this summer after missing periods of the regular season in 2021-22 while away with the Australian squad, before returning for the finals as Perth claimed a record fourth Big Bash championship.

It's also a setback for the 31-year-old's chances of selection in Australia's squad for their four-Test tour of India that departs around the start of February, with Marsh having been part of the last two overseas Test tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka as a reserve allrounder.

Marsh, who is the Scorchers all-time leading run-scorer, has had the injury for an extended period and decided to proceed with surgery in consultation with Australian and WA high performance staff.

National selection panel chair George Bailey said they were hopeful Marsh would be available for Australian selection again for the ODI series against India in March.

"In undertaking the surgery now, it gives Mitchell the best chance to recover and resume his allrounder skillset, which is an important part of our plans for the upcoming year and beyond," Bailey said.

Salt suffered a grade two ligament injury in his shoulder injury while diving to try and stop a David Warner boundary during the third Dettol ODI at the MCG last month.

He was subbed out of that match with concussion but was also spotted clutching his left shoulder as he walked from the field.

The 26-year-old's injury doesn't require surgery, but advice from a leading shoulder specialist in the UK and the timeframe of his recovery has meant he is unavailable for BBL|12.

Salt, who was part of England's T20 World Cup triumph at the MCG last month, had been taken by the Scorchers with their silver-round selection during August's inaugural BBL Draft.

It's another blow for the Scorchers overseas playing stocks after they tore up the contract of their top draft pick, Laurie Evans, following revelations last week he had returned a positive anti-doping test.

South African veteran Faf du Plessis was announced as Evans' replacement on Wednesday, signing on for the Scorchers opening seven games of the season before departing to play in the new SAT20 league.

The club said in a statement it was is exploring its options to recruit replacement local and international players ahead of their season opener against Sydney Sixers at Perth Stadium on December 17.

While replacement player options are limited so close to the start of the tournament, several big name local players remain on the market, including Victorian captain Peter Handscomb, WA young gun Teague Wyllie and Aussie quick Scott Boland.

"Losing Mitch and Phil so close to the start of the season is very disappointing," said Kade Harvey, Scorchers General Manager High Performance.

"Mitch is one of the best ball-strikers in global cricket with an incredible BBL record, and his leadership and presence around the group is enormous.

"Phil has proven his class for England and in T20 tournaments around the world, so it's unfortunate he won't pull on the orange this summer.

"We're under no illusions about how difficult it will be to cover the absence of Mitch and Phil, but we take pride in the depth of our squad and have a lot of players capable of stepping up.

"The whole organisation remains as motivated as ever to win a fifth BBL championship."

Jhye Richardson is also under an injury cloud heading into the tournament after suffering a bruised heel during Western Australia's round four Marsh Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland, but Scorchers medical staff are optimistic that he will be ready to go for their season opener.

That clash, which is a rematch of last summer's BBL|11 decider, will be the Scorchers long-awaited return to the 'Furnace' after spending all bar one match on the road last season due to WA border restrictions.

Perth Scorchers BBL|12 squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Tymal Mills (England), Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner (c), Andrew Tye