The Melbourne Renegades have some "huge names to consider" ahead of their No.1 pick in the first ever BBL overseas player draft.
It is understood Blackcaps fast bowler Trent Boult, Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan, England batter Liam Livingstone and South African stalwart Faf du Plessis are the main contenders for the Renegades' historic no.1 pick.
While Rashid Khan is considered to be in the same legion of players, the Renegades are unlikely to land the Strikers superstar, given each club is entitled to one retention pick for a player from last season - the Strikers have all but confirmed they will re-sign Khan.
Renegades general manager James Rosengarten confirmed the club would simply select the player they viewed as the best available fit for their side.
"It's great to have the first pick and to be able to fully control what we do in the first round," he told Cricket.com.au.
"There are some huge names in that platinum pool for us to consider … with our first pick, we'll take the player who we think is very best in the draft.
"One thing is for sure, whoever we take with pick one will be one of the very big names in world cricket."
Livingstone is firming as a strong recruit for the Renegades in a somewhat unstable middle-order, having previously played for the Perth Scorchers. He notched up 851 runs at an average of 30.39 and a strike rate of 138.15 across two seasons there.
Meanwhile, Boult, the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world, has an increased availability to play in domestic tournaments around the world after being released from his central contract at New Zealand Cricket.
The Renegades have a dearth of quality spinners, with Shadab posing as an ideal option, while Faf du Plessis' wealth of experience and leadership qualities will only aid newly appointed Renegades skipper Nic Maddinson.
International players nominated in the draft will enter a three-tier system, whereby players are ranked as platinum, gold, silver or bronze.
In order to combat player availability issues, platinum players will be paid $340,000, gold players will earn $260,000, silver $175,000 and bronze $100,000.
On Monday, the BBL unveiled the 12 players that were adjudged platinum-level; Boult, Shadab, Livingstone, Rashid, du Plessis, Sam Billings (England), Chris Jordan (England), Jason Roy (England), David Willey (England), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Kieron Pollard (West Indies) and Andre Russell (West Indies).
The platinum players for BBL's overseas draft have been confirmed ✨ pic.twitter.com/1KPCi6WubS
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 22, 2022
Rashid (Strikers), Shadab (Sixers), Billings (Thunder), Jordan (Sixers) and Russell (Stars) are eligible to be retained, having played in the BBL last summer.
Only the 12 platinum players can be picked in the first round per BBL Draft rules, while platinum or gold level players can be taken in the second round.
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Rosengarten expects his side to delve into its full stock of depth this season.
"In that silver or bronze round, you might see us draft someone who isn't a huge name on our shores yet, but someone we've done a lot of homework on and can play an important role for us," he continued.
"It's realistic to expect at least two players we draft to be leaving mid-tournament.
"But we'll have a replacement player plan for both of those set out before draft night and then from Monday morning after the draft, we'll look to get deals done for the best players who slip through."
Prior to this season, discussions between BBL franchises and overseas players were done privately, with negotiations not centralised by the league. It essentially meant interest from star international players was only generated if a deal was struck.
But the new innovation is expected to enhance the BBL's chase for international stars and inject some goodwill into the league ahead of what BBL boss Alistair Dobson labelled "one of the most important (seasons) ever".
There are 332 overseas players who have nominated for the draft, which is due to take place on Sunday 28 August.
