Leading names like Martin Guptill, Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron, and Lendl Simmons made headlines during the draft for the first-ever Super60 USA Tournament on Friday, which was a historic day for cricket in the USA. The teams selected an exciting mix of international stars and up-and-coming talents.
Eight players had already been signed by teams as pre-signings. They were permitted to select seven to ten additional players in the draft.
Big stars like Aaron Finch, Isuru Udana, and Ben Dunk were already pre-signed by the LA Strikers. Gurkeerat Mann, a dynamic all-rounder renowned for his respectable strike rate and useful off-spin, was selected during the draft to further bolster their roster. In an obvious attempt to assemble a team with depth in all areas, the team also added seasoned medium-pacer Parvinder Awana and wicketkeeper-batter Naman Ojha.
By acquiring two of India’s best bowlers, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh, the Morrisville Fighters assembled a formidable core. With the signing of Shaun Marsh, they substantially bolstered their batting force. With the acquisition of bowler Sheldon Cottrell, seasoned campaigner Faiz Fazal, and potent all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme, the team proceeded to expand upon that strong foundation.
Following the sequential signings of Lendl Simmons and Martin Guptill, the Rebel Warriors made a statement during the draft. Due to their aggressive nature, the two hitters will be crucial in giving the squad a strong start. In order to increase batting aggression, they also recruited Saurabh Tiwary during the pre-signing phase. Mitchell Johnson’s ball-handling experience will be crucial to Rebel’s success.
The Chicago Players added Guptill, Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron, and Devendra Bishoo to their lineup, which already included legendary players Suresh Raina and Jacques Kallis, to bolster their bowling attack.
The Detroit Falcons had a clear strategy going into the draft: to fill their roster with top-tier all-around players. They added Mossaddek Hossain and Ariful Haque, two dependable artists with strong domestic records, to the list, which already included Shakib Al Hasan.
The Washington Tigers have a lot of experience and firepower up top with Parthiv Patel, Chris Lynn, and Ravi Bopara in their batting lineup. They’ll be depending on Shahbaz Nadeem, Dan Christian, and Abhimanyu Mithun to handle the ball well and contain the opposition.
LA Strikers pre-signing and Super60 USA Draft additions
Ben Dunk (Cat A), Chadwick Walton (Cat B), Ashley Nurse (Cat B), Anureet Singh (Cat C), Chirag Gandhi (Cat D), Jesal Karia (Cat C), Aaron Finch (Icon), and Isuru Udana (Platinum) are pre-signing.
Draft: Manan Sharma (Cat D), Nisarg Patel (Cat D), Kashyap Prajapati (Cat D), Jaskaran Malhotra (Cat C), Parvinder Awana (Cat C), Gurkeerat Mann (Cat B), and Naman Ojha (Cat B).
Pre-signing for the Morrisville Fighters
Munaf Patel (Cat A), Angelo Perera (Cat B), Bipul Sharma (Cat B), Chamara Kapugedera (Cat C), Danushka Gunathilaka (Cat C), Kristopher Ramsaran (Cat D), Harbhajan Singh (Icon), and Shaun Marsh (Platinum)
Draft
Elmore Hutchinson (Cat D), Suboth Bhati (Cat D), Rahul Yadav (Cat D), Colin de Grandhomme (Cat B), Sheldon Cottrell (Cat B), Jerome Taylor (Cat C), and Faiz Fazal (Cat C)
Rebel Warriors’ pre-contract
Saurabh Tiwary (Cat A), Miguel Cummins (Cat B), Kennar Lewis (Cat B), Samit Patel (Cat C), Oshane Thomas (Cat C), Mitchell Johnson (Platinum), Thisara Perera (Icon), and Amila Aponso (Cat D)
Draft
Trevon Griffith (Cat D), Andre McCarthy (Cat D), Martin Guptill (Cat B), Lendl Simmons (Cat B), Chaturanga de Silva (Cat B), Jonathan Carter (Cat C), and Jonathan Foo (Cat D)
Players from Chicago pre-signing
Shehan Jayasuriya (Cat A), Manpreet Gony (Cat B), Kesrick Williams (Cat B), Dilhara Fernando (Cat C), Jon-Russ Jaggesar (Cat C), Navin Stewart (Cat D), Suresh Raina (Icon), and Jacques Kallis (Platinum)
Draft
Devendra Bishoo (Cat C), Siddharth Trivedi (Cat C), Wayne Parnell (Cat B), Varun Aaron (Cat B), Pawan Suyal (Cat D), William Perkins (Cat D), and Vikas Tokas (Cat D)
Falcons of Detroit pre-signing
Rishi Dhawan (Cat A), Sharad Lumba (Cat B), Nasir Hussain (Cat B), Malinda Pushpakumara (Cat C), Anthony Bramble (Cat D), Cameron Delport (Platinum), and Shakib Al Hasan (Icon)
Draft
Mohammad Nihaduzzaman (Cat D), Rony Talukdar (Cat D), Al-Amin Hossain (Cat D), Ariful Haque (Cat C), Kamrul Islam Rabbi (Cat C), Mossaddek Hossain (Cat B), and Enamul Haque Jr. (Cat B)
Pre-signing with the Washington Tigers
Chris Lynn (Cat A), Ravi Bopara (Cat B), Andrew Tye (Cat B), Rohan Mustafa (Cat C), Abhimanyu Mithun (Cat C), Zahoor Khan (Cat D), and Parthiv Patel (Platinum)
Draft
Jeevan Mendis (Cat C), Sheldon Jackson (Cat D), George Worker (Cat D), Aakarshit Gomel (Cat D), Dan Christian (Cat B), Shahbaz Nadeem (Cat B), Phil Mustard (Cat B), and