Draft card: Renegades secure No.1 priority but gaps remain

Draft picks: Quinton de Kock (Platinum), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Gold)

Draft spend: $A680,000

Total payment pool post-draft: $2.32m of $3m

Renegades draftees Quinton de Kock and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will fill two of the club's six marquee player spots after being taken with platinum ($420,000) and gold ($300,000) selections respectively. Under new contracting rules announced in April – made possible by the new five-year Memorandum of Understanding between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association – each club's total payments pool for players has increased by almost 58 per cent from $1.9m to $3m for BBL|13.

A part of that $3m, each BBL club must have a minimum of six players (whether domestic, overseas or CA-contracted) who are paid $200,000 or more per season. The six marquee players at each club must collectively be paid a minimum of $1.7m in BBL|13 with all overseas players taken with a silver selection or higher considered marquees.

There's a plethora of current and former Australian representatives in the Renegades BBL|13 squad likely to be vying for the remaining four marquee spots with the club securing a high-profile trade for the nation's top white-ball spinner Adam Zampa from the Stars during the off-season. Peter Siddle has also crossed from the Adelaide Strikers, as has Test spinner Nathan Lyon from the Sydney Sixers on a three-year deal, and with former Aussie white-ball captain Aaron Finch, Kane Richardson, Shaun Marsh and 'Gades captain Nic Maddinson in the squad, their potential marquee signing options are plentiful.

Overseas availability

After being drafted by the Renegades, De Kock has since announced his intention to retire from one-day internationals following this year's World Cup. It means he won't be taking part in South Africa's three-match ODI series against India from December 17-21. South Africa also have a T20 series against India from December 10-14 just as the BBL|13 season gets underway, but Renegades general manager James Rosengarten was confident de Kock would be available for their first eight games before joining the Durban Super Giants in the South African T20 league in early January.

Mujeeb also has commitments in a rival T20 league with the Gulf Giants in the UAE competition and Afghanistan has a T20 series against India scheduled to begin on January 11. That would leave him with availability of up to eight games for the Renegades. The club will be able to sign overseas replacement players for when the pair are unavailable, as long as those players were part of the original 353 that nominated but weren't selected in the BBL|13 Draft.

BBL|13 squad (so far): Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson (c), Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jon Wells, Adam Zampa

Ins: Nathan Lyon (Sixers), Peter Siddle (Strikers), Adam Zampa (Stars)

Outs: Sam Harper (Stars)

Uncontracted from BBL|12: Zak Evans, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Jack Prestwidge, Corey Rocchiccioli

Draft strategy

After trading wicketkeeper Sam Harper for Zampa, and with Peter Handscomb still uncontracted, the Renegades desperately needed a gloveman for BBL|13. Not only did they get one on draft night, but they got one of the most damaging in the world in South African de Kock. With 300-plus games of T20 experience, the 30-year-old recently smashed 88no and 87 in the inaugural Major League Cricket finals and will slot straight into the Renegades top-order.

"He was our number one priority as far as a batting and keeping option," Rosengarten said. "He's someone that suits Marvel (Stadium) well, just a super player at the top of the order and a really good keeper as well."

Having secured their number one priority in the first round, the Renegades also needed to add another bowler, and with their Marvel Stadium home ground traditionally suited to spin, and new recruit Lyon likely to be away with Test duties for most of BBL|13, they secured the return of Afghanistan finger spinner Mujeeb for a second straight season.

The Renegades then surprisingly passed with their remaining two picks and will now secure a third primary overseas player outside the draft. It was the first time BBL clubs – with the Thunder and Scorchers then following suit – had only drafted two players after all eight teams picked three times in the inaugural draft last year. BBL clubs are permitted to sign a third primary overseas player with approval from the league's Technical Committee, provided that player nominated for the draft and wasn't selected. Players contracted under this mechanism negotiate their salary for the season directly with the club.

"During the draft you're restricted by categories and now all players go into a free agency pool and we're free to speak to them," Rosengarten said. "The plan before (the draft) was to get Quinton, get Mujeeb and then pass those final picks and directly sign the player that we wanted."

Squad gaps

With de Kock only expected to be available for the first eight games, the Renegades still need a back-up wicketkeeper for the last two games of the regular season and finals should they qualify. Handscomb doesn't yet have a BBL|13 contract and could again fill that role, while Netherlands World Cup captain Scott Edwards is another name that has been floated among Renegades list management. Edwards averages more than 40 in ODIs and qualifies as a domestic signing as he plays locally for Richmond in Victoria Premier Cricket when not on international duties.

The 'Gades could also be looking at another spinner with their third primary international signing, if they don't use it on a back-up wicketkeeper, with Mujeeb set to depart for the UAE league before finals and Lyon also unlikely to be available for finals with Australia scheduled to play two Tests against the West Indies in late January.

Will Sutherland is also the only genuine allrounder in the squad, but with 18-year-old batting sensation Harry Dixon – who scored a century for the Australia Under 19s against England overnight – having reportedly signed a two-year deal with the club, the Renegades only have one international and two domestic list spots potentially available for a wicketkeeper, allrounder and spinner.

Draft Card 2023: Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Scorchers | Renegades | Stars | Sixers | Thunder