New Delhi: The Big Bash League has created a central pool of Local Replacement Players (LRP) to help teams continue to field a team for the remainder of the season.
Every player will be living under the protocols made by BBL and be assigned a ‘home’ Club for logistical purposes while part of the central pool. Any player can be contracted by any BBL club as an LRP under the existing league contracting rules.
Here’s a list of eight players currently in the central LRP pool:
Nicholas Bertus (Sydney Sixers)
Jake Carder (Perth Scorchers)
Iain Carlisle (Hobart Hurricanes)
Daniel Drew (Adelaide Strikers)
Jake Doran (Melbourne Stars)
Lachlan Hearne (Sydney Thunder)
Lachlan Pfeffer (Brisbane Heat – currently in Heat 18-player squad)
Brayden Stepien (Melbourne Renegades)
Note: Additional LRPs will be added in the coming days.
BBL clubs cannot sign LRPs from outside the central pool for the remainder of the BBL 11 league until unless it is being approved by the BBL Technical Committee.
Amid the ongoing Covid wave in Australia, the creation of the central pool was necessitated for the continuation of the BBL league. Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat are most affected teams of the league as they are missing 3 and 12 players respectively to Covid-enforced isolation.
“The Local Replacement Player pool is another example of the League and Clubs working together to address the challenges of the season with innovative solutions,” said Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues.
“The player pool provides Clubs with increased options should injury, illness, or other circumstances affect the availability of players, while also streamlining the process of integrating LRPs into the group from a biosecurity perspective,” he added.
