Imran Tahir, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman lead 71 new entries to BBL draft

Eighteen English players declare an interest including Dan Lawrence, the Overton brothers and Joe Denly. The total number of entrants now stands at 169, ahead of the draft on August 28

The Big Bash League has unveiled another 71 entrants to the inaugural overseas player draft ahead of the 12th edition of the competition.

In all, 169 players from 13 countries have now submitted themselves for the process which will see the eight franchises fill their squads on August 28.

Imran Tahir, the third-most successful spinner in T20 history with 451 wickets, and Afghanistan pair Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman are the stand-out additions from the latest intake.

Eighteen more English players have entered including Test players Dan Lawrence, previously at Brisbane Heat and Craig and Jamie Overton.

Kent's Joe Denly, Steven Croft of Lancashire and Warwickshire keeper-batter Alex Davies are among the others to put themselves forward.

Paul Stirling and Curtis Campher headline the Ireland contingent, while Mark Watt and Michael Jones are the two Scottish entries.

^{Dan Lawrence spent the 2020-21 season with Brisbane Heat (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)}

Prabath Jayasuriya, the left-arm spinner who collected 12 wickets for Sri Lanka on Test debut against Australia, is an intriguing addition alongside countrymen Dinesh Chandimal and Maheesh Theekshana.

Veteran seamer Fidel Edwards, who last featured in the BBL during its first edition in 2011-12, is also available for selection.

Six of the new entrants are eligible for retention having represented a BBL team last season. Nabi, Zahir Khan or Unmukt Chand could be picked up by Melbourne Renegades, Hobart Hurricanes could hold on to Sandeep Lamichhane or Tom Lammonby and Mujeeb is eligible to go back to Brisbane Heat.

All franchises can deploy a single retention pick from last season's overseas roster at any stage during the draft.

Players have until August 21 to declare themselves for the draft and submit their availability - though this detail will not be made public. Competing franchise competitions in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates early in 2023 are likely to impact on the draft, those who enter and ultimately who is selected.

BBL overseas draft rules

• Players have until August 21 to enter themselves for the process on August 28.

• They will declare their availibility and insert themselves in one of three pay brackets - gold, silver and bronze.

• Tournament organiers will then upgrade certain players to the platinum category.

• Teams must pick a minimum of two players, and a maximum of three and must skip one of the four rounds.

• Salaries are as follows: Platinum (round one) $340,000 (£195,599). Platinum and gold (round two) $260,000 (£149,576). Gold and silver (round three) $175,000 (£100,672). Silver and bronze (round four) $100,000 (£57,527).

• A weighted draw has determined the draft order. Melbourne Renegades will pick first, followed by Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Strikers, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes

• Renegades will go first in the platinum section and rounds two and four. The order is reversed for round three.

• Franchises may retain an overseas player from their BBL|11 roster if selected by another team.

New BBL draft entrants:

Afghanistan: Noor Ahmad, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shafiqullah Ghafari, Hamid Hassan, Zahir Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Waqar Salamkheil, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Bangladesh: Al-amin Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Ripon Mondol

England: Kashif Ali, Tom Alsop, Jacob Bethell, Patrick Brown, Steven Croft, Alex Davies, Joe Denly, Adam Hose, Tom Lammonby, Dan Lawrence, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Nathan Sowter, Mitchell Stanley, Cameron Steel, Callum Taylor, Jack Taylor, Paul Walter

Ireland: Mark Adair, Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delaney, Josh Little, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector

Nepal: Sandeep Lamichhane

Netherlands: Brandon Glover, Fred Klaassen, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Paul Van Meekeren

Fidel Edwards played in BBL|01 (Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Scotland: Michael Jones, Mark Watt

South Africa: Chris Benjamin, Shane Dadswell, Pieter Malan, Migael Pretorius, Imran Tahir, Dane Vilas

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal, Prabath Jayasuriya, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lakshan Sandakan, Maheesh Theekshana

United Arab Emirates: Vriitya Aravind

USA: Harmeet Singh Baddhan, Unmukt Chand, Ali Khan

West Indies: Johnson Charles, Mark Deyal, Fidel Edwards, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kesrick Williams

Zimbabwe: Eddie Byrom, Tawanda Muyeye, Blessing Muzarabani, Sikander Raza

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