Cricket Australia on Wednesday (June 22) announced the introduction of a new overseas player draft system for the Big Bash League (BBL).

The new draft system will enable the clubs to recruit from a pool of international players for the upcoming edition of the tournament.

In a statement, CSA confirmed that the nominations for the draft were opened on Wednesday and the league and teams have been in conversations with players and agents.

Speaking about the announcement, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, Alistair Dobson, said the draft has been designed to attract big T20 names from around the globe.

“KFC BBL|12 is shaping up as the most hotly anticipated season yet, with the best of the Big Bash on display on and off the field. At the forefront of this will be the KFC BBL|12 Draft, which elevates the recruitment of overseas players to a new level.

“The Draft is designed to attract the best available players, excite fans for the upcoming season and provide new opportunities for clubs and the League. We look forward to announcing the first group of nominations soon.

“We’d like to thank our Clubs and the Australian Cricketers’ Association for working with us on building the Draft and look forward to the event itself,” said Dobson.

The players will be able to nominate for the draft through an online nomination portal, including their availability for the tournament.

There will be four categories in which the players can be selected for the draft. They are Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze, which will be based on the salaries. The draft order will be determined by a weighted lottery with the three teams which missed the finals of BBL 11 being entered first to decide the first three selections. The five finalists will then be drawn for the rest.

The draft will have four rounds with each club being able to make one pick. Rounds one and two will follow the weighted lottery order with the rest adopting a snaking one.

Each club will be allowed to make one retention pick during the draft, given that the star player has played at least one game for the club. The teams will have a squad strength of 18 with two or three overseas stars in the line-up. There is no change in the recruitment process of domestic players.

The statement also confirmed that the contracting embargo has been lifted, meaning that teams are able to hold discussions with Australia's star cricketers.