Hurricanes, Sixers swoop as WBBL|10 Draft order revealed

Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers have emerged as big winners from the Weber WBBL|10 Draft lottery as they overcame long odds to secure the first and second picks respectively.

The Hurricanes will get first dibs on the best overseas talent for the WBBL's milestone 10th season after being drawn first, followed by the Sixers, Melbourne Renegades (pick 3) and Melbourne Stars (pick 4).

It's a tough blow for the two Melbourne clubs who had a greater likelihood of securing the first pick in a weighted lottery after the Renegades finished last in WBBL|09 and the Stars second last.

The Renegades had a 40 per cent chance of scoring pick one and the Stars a 30 per cent chance, but they were trumped by the Hurricanes whose sixth-placed finish last season only gave them a 20 per cent chance of securing the first pick.

They'll now get the pick of the bunch among the overseas players that nominate for WBBL|10 who aren't one of up to eight players that could be snapped up by a club prior to the season under the league's new multi-year direct signing rule for overseas players.

The Sixers yesterday lured star New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr from Brisbane Heat on a three-year deal, who became the first overseas player, men's or women's, signed under the new contracting mechanism.

Announced in April, the rule allows clubs to directly sign one overseas player at a time for up to three years, allowing players to skip the uncertainty of the draft and negotiate directly with a club of their choice.

The caveat is that from WBBL|11 onwards, players signed to a multi-year deal are required to be available for the entire season including finals, which was designed in part to help mitigate the loss of international players to rival T20 leagues, particularly in the men's Big Bash competition.

Direct signings must be paid at one of the existing draft salary bands (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze) or at a negotiated price above the Platinum rate, which was $110,000 last WBBL season.

Draft salary bands

"The order of selections is vital for each club as they build their draft strategy, which is even more intriguing this year with the addition of the pre-signed, multi-year internationals," said Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia's general manager of Big Bash Leagues.

"Last year's number one selection for the Thunder, Marizanne Kapp, is an icon of the competition and we look forward to seeing who Hobart recruit."

Last season's champions Adelaide Strikers were also winners from the weighted lottery as they secured the sixth pick despite only having a 16 per cent chance of doing so.

Picks 1-4 were drawn from teams that did not participate in the WBBL|09 finals, while the four finalists from last season were in the running for picks 5-8.

Sydney Thunder will have the fifth pick, the Heat the seventh and Perth Scorchers, who finished the WBBL|09 home-and-away round in second but were knocked out by the Heat in the Challenger, the eighth and final pick in the draft's opening round.

The draft will follow a 'snake' format from the start of the second round, with round three conducted in reverse order, meaning the Scorchers will select first (pick 17).

Each club will also have access to a retention pick during the draft, meaning despite having the eighth pick, the Scorchers will have the option to keep their captain Sophie Devine, if they are unable to secure her with a direct signing prior to the draft.

Other star players eligible to be retained include South Africans Kapp (Thunder), Laura Wolvaardt (Strikers), Shabnim Ismail, Lizelle Lee (both Hurricanes), and Mignon du Preez (Heat), Englishwomen Nat Sciver-Brunt (Scorchers), Tammy Beaumont (Renegades), Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley (both Stars), West Indies international Hayley Matthews (Renegades), India captain Harmanpreet Kaur (Renegades) and Sri Lankan allrounder Chamari Athapaththu (Thunder).

Confirmation of the lottery outcome comes after the league announced a two-year extension with WBBL naming rights partner, Weber.

Each club must draft a minimum of two players and can select up to four players, which is inclusive of any pre-signed overseas players. The WBBL|10 Draft has been earmarked for September with details to be confirmed in the coming weeks.