A total of six Indian players were picked in the first three rounds of the WBBL draft on Sunday (September 1). Along with the pre-signed Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues were among the first-round picks. Meanwhile, captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not have any takers in the overseas draft.
Deepti was the fourth pick of the day, getting selected by Melbourne Stars. Rodrigues, on the other hand, was the seventh player to be presented in the opening round and she was picked by Brisbane Heat. Besides the Indian captain, Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav were also among the 13 players not picked in the draft.
England opening batter Danni Wyatt was the first player to be selected in the draft, picked by Hobart Hurricanes. Sydney Sixers opted for premier left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, while South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt went to Adelaide Strikers. England captain Heather Knight was selected by Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades picked Deandra Dottin who recently announced her comeback to international cricket.
Shikha Pandey was recruited by Brisbane Heat in the second round, becoming the third Indian player to be selected in the draft. Perth Scorchers retained the services of England wicket-keeper Amy Jones.
Dayalan Hemalatha was the first pick in the third round, going to Perth Scorchers, Meanwhile, Melbourne Renegades signed Alice Capsey and Sydney Thunder got their pre-signed player Chamari Athapaththu. Smriti Mandhana, Adelaide Strikers' pre-signed player, was selected in this round and Melbourne Stars signed Yastika Bhatia. Sydney Sixers chose to pass in this round.
Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers passed in the fourth round of the draft. Adelaide Strikers selected Ireland's Orla Prendergast, while Nadine de Klerk went to Brisbane Heat, becoming the last player to be selected in the draft.
The 2024 WBBL kicks off on October 27 when last year's champions Adelaide Strikers host Brisbane Heat. A total of 43 games will be played, with the final taking place on December 1.
First-round picks: Deepti Sharma (Melbourne Stars), Jemimah Rodrigues (Brisbane Heat), Danielle Wyatt (Hobart Hurricanes), Sophie Ecclestone (Sydney Sixers), Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder), Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers), Deandra Dottin (Melbourne Renegades), Sophie Devine (Perth Scorchers)
Second-round picks: Chloe Tryon (Hobart Hurricanes), Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers), Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades), Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars), Shabnim Ismail (Sydney Thunder), Passed - Adelaide Strikers, Shikha Pandey - Brisbane Heat, Amy Jones - Perth Scorchers (Retention)
Third-round picks: Hemalatha Dayalan (Perth Scorchers), Passed - Brisbane Heat, Alice Capsey (Melbourne Renegades), Chamari Athapaththu (Sydney Thunder), Yastika Bhatia (Melbourne Stars), Smriti Mandhana (Adelaide Strikers), Passed - Sydney Sixers, Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes)
Fourth-round picks: Passed - Hobart Hurricanes, Hollie Armitage (Sydney Sixers), Orla Prendergast (Adelaide Strikers), Passed - Melbourne Stars, Georgia Adams (Sydney Thunder), Passed - Melbourne Renegades, Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat), Passed - Perth Scorchers
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