After smashing a mammoth 13 sixes in the Major League Cricket final, West Indian slugger Nicholas Pooran is high on the list of BBL international draft hopefuls, with increased marquee payments in excess of $400,000 being used to lure the best players.
The inaugural US tournament concluded on Sunday with Pooran, who has played in the Big Bash with the Melbourne Stars, plundering an unbeaten 137 off just 55 balls, with 118 of those runs coming in boundaries, to guide the Mumbai Indians New York to the title.
West Indian Pooran was among a star-studded list of players, including South Africans Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and Faf du Plessis, as well as fellow West Indian Andrew Russell and star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan.
It was a line-up of international talent that outstripped what the Big Bash has been able to lure in recent seasons despite the introduction of the international player draft.
Marquee payments for the 2023-24 season have increased, with the top players set to earn in excess of $400,000 for the seven-week tournament that clashes at the back-end with a lucrative league in the United Arab Emirates.
While Pooran is yet to nominate for the draft, officials hope the West Indian slugger will return to Australia this summer.
“We’re yet to receive Nicholas’ nomination but he’s high on our list of targets and given his performance (in the MLC final) you can see why,” a BBL source said.
“We’ve seen glimpses of what he can do in the BBL and would absolutely love to have him back.”
Australian T20 star Tim David was also part of the winning New York team in Dallas, Texas and, in more evidence of the nature of the new cricket landscape, was back on the field two days later in a different uniform in the UK.
David crossed the Atlantic Ocean to line up for the Southern Brave in The Hundred in England as he continues to rake in cash from various T20 competitions ahead of likely selection for Australia’s impending five-match tour of South Africa.
He went from the Indian Premier League in May to playing eight matches in the US in July and then straight into The Hundred and will soon be required for national duties when the Australians take on the Proteas in five matches starting on August 30.