BBL 2025-26 has moved the draft to June to lock in overseas talent.
The exponential growth of T20 leagues around the world and a packed cricket schedule throughout the year has created a headache for the national boards to schedule their marquee tournaments in a window that provides availability of top talents from across the world. Cricket Australia began its flagship tournament, the Big Bash League (BBL), on the heels of the Indian Premier League (IPL) back in 2011. Much before the inception of leagues in England, South Africa, the West Indies, Pakistan, the United States, and the UAE, the BBL was, without a doubt, the second biggest league in cricket. The recruitment process for the Draft is usually scheduled around September every year, just a couple of months before the tournament. However, the BBL 2025-26 has been moved to June due to scheduling congestion, causing player attrition.
Among the four categories – Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze – clubs will be allowed to name their overseas picks for the season, with the top players stating their availability for a major chunk of the season.
Here are the probable top five Platinum picks for the BBL 2025-26 draft.
The Pakistan pacer, despite a lukewarm Champions Trophy 2025, has been excellent in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He captained Lahore Qalandars to the PSL 2025 trophy while contributing a 19-wicket haul from 13 matches. The left-armer claimed a total of 10 wickets from the last four T20 wickets. It includes two three-wicket hauls in the playoffs and the final. With Pakistan having no matches scheduled for the end of the year, around October, when the BBL is likely to be played, puts him in the top rung of players.
The last two years have been tough for England’s speed merchant. But he seems to have found his rhythm at last. During the recent IPL 2025, the Rajasthan Royals bowler started with a record no one wants to have. He conceded a whopping 76 runs from his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad with no wickets to show for.
However, he regained the ability to hit 145 kmph and above consistently, with 11 wickets from the next 11 matches. His numbers look bang average. Bur Archer constantly beat batters with his seam movement and swing on flat decks in India. Irrespective of his struggles with minor niggles, the 30-year-old will be a Platinum pick in the BBL 2025-26 draft.
The England swashbuckler might’ve been kept quiet for a majority of IPL 2025. But he stepped up to his job as a six-hitter when it mattered the most. In the final, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru were struggling to get runs, Livingstone ran the hard singles and twos to score 25 off 15 balls. It took his team to a fighting total in the title clash. Even though he hasn’t played BBL since the 2020-21 season, he has delivered two solid seasons for Perth Scorchers with almost identical run tallies of 425 and 426 from 14 games each. From the 30 T20s he played in Australia, Livingstone averages a healthy 30 at a strike rate of 137.
Being exiled by England despite a tournament-winning performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 seemed to have fired up Sam Curran. The southpaw had lit up the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025 with seven wickets and 387 runs for the finalists, Desert Vipers. It brought him back to the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.
ALSO READ:
Though his chances in the tournament were limited, he managed to score a counter-attacking 88 off 47 balls against the Punjab Kings. It showed he can prosper if given ample opportunities. His consistency in the format has also prompted his county side, Surrey, to make him their T20 captain. It has proven to be the right decision so far. Curran has led from the front with eight wickets from six games at an economy of 8.01. He has also scored 134 runs at a strike rate of 128.
The young pacer has had mediocre outings whenever he played in Australia. He had an average above 60 and an economy north of nine. However, his ability to bowl at least two good overs in a T20 match, both with the new and old ball, can’t be overlooked. Much similar to his career Down Under, Naseem has had a rollercoaster PSL 2025 for Islamabad United. He was too good in key games and plain mediocre in others. He might just be the surprise Platinum pick for this season.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
