Draft targets: The players on the radar of BBL clubs for picks 1-4

Ben Duckett was the first No.1 men's draft pick to make it to the Big Bash, and he didn't disappoint in KFC BBL|14 with three blistering half-centuries to spark Melbourne Stars' comeback in the second half of the season.

Brisbane Heat hold the first pick in next month's BBL|15 overseas player draft (scheduled for June 19) as they plot their path back to the top following a disappointing title defence last season where they finished in seventh place.

The Heat are the first non-Melbourne club to secure the first pick in the men's draft with the Stars and Renegades splitting the number one selection in the three years since the event's introduction.

With every club on the lookout for different roles and skillsets to complete their rosters for next season, we've broken down what the recruiters from last season's bottom four teams (who hold the first four picks) could be looking for with their BBL|15 Draft picks.

1. Heat | 2. Strikers | 3. Renegades | 4. Scorchers | 5. Hurricanes | 6. Sixers | 7. Stars | 8. Thunder

Pick 1 – Brisbane Heat

The Heat's overseas direct signing and top pick in last year's draft, Colin Munro, returns for the second year of his deal, which will be his fourth straight season with the club. Munro was allocated pick seven in the BBL|14 Draft in the platinum salary band, but even if he's allocated the same value this year, the Heat could still use the first pick on another player like the Stars did last year with their direct signing Tom Curran, with platinum players still eligible to be taken in the second round.

That leaves the door open to claim the biggest overseas star with the No.1 pick, and with Mitch Swepson jumping ship to the Stars, the Heat could be on the lookout for a quality spinner or spin-bowling allrounder to support Matthew Kuhnemann. Brisbane's bowling depth was hampered by injuries to star quicks Michael Neser and Spencer Johnson last season, while English draftee Paul Walter wasn't at his best, with the Heat's high performance boss Joe Dawes aiming to get more overs out of their top order in BBL|15 to give them a more balanced side.

"We struggled for balance (last season)," Dawes said. "We've talked a lot about roles and potential changes of roles. We'll be looking at bringing guys in or different roles for who we have to get overs out of our top three and potentially our top six to help us with our balance … to make up for some of the areas that we weren't really at our best."

Another gap the Heat could be looking to the draft to fill is a top order batter with Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and potentially Nathan McSweeney unavailable when the Test team faces off with England for the Ashes. Munro will fill one of those spots with the Heat no doubt hoping for a better return than his forgettable BBL|14 campaign that yielded just 46 runs in six games. They drafted English wicketkeeper-batter Tom Alsop last season, but he also missed the first half of the season due to a quad injury. With Max Bryant making the middle-order role his own and Jimmy Peirson seemingly on the outer, the Heat could be targeting a powerful top-order batter that can take the gloves in the draft.

Pick 2 – Adelaide Strikers

The BBL|14 wooden spooners had the best chance of landing the first pick but were pipped by the Heat in the last month's weighted lottery. Regardless, they'll still have second crack at the best overseas talent in June's BBL|15 Draft and unlike most of their rivals, they don't have a pre-signed international returning next season. With Ollie Pope only signed to a one-year deal and mostly unavailable for BBL|15 due to the Ashes, the Strikers will start with a clean state for their overseas recruits in 2024-25.

The Strikers went heavy on allrounders in last year's draft, picking up England's Jamie Overton and the West Indies' Fabian Allen, but it's their bowling attack that is the primary concern looking towards next season. While their batters scored heavily in BBL|14, their bowlers conceded the highest percentage of boundaries and more runs per scoring shot than any other team, thrice failing to defend 180-plus totals. And with their most economical bowler from last season, Brendan Doggett, not returning in BBL|15 after signing a two-year deal with the Renegades, Strikers general manager of cricket, Simon Insley, said they would look to the overseas player market to reinforce their death bowling options.

"Brendan Doggett has moved to the Renegades so we'll be looking at that death bowling specialist in the overseas market," Insley said. "That's something we need to support our list to give us a few more options in the key moments and in the Power Surge rather than just relying on one or two bowlers.

"It's slowly but surely supporting a local spine and then bringing in three ingredients from an overseas player piece, rather than we finished bottom and so we're going to have wholesale changes; we don't think that's the recipe for success."

Pick 3 – Melbourne Renegades

The Renegades were the most active club in the post-season player market and general manager James Rosengarten believes the "ingredients are there" to challenge in BBL|15. With free agent acquisitions Jason Behrendorff and Brendan Doggett joining Adam Zampa, Tom Rogers and captain Will Sutherland, the 'Gades have one of the strongest bowling attacks in the league. Add in Caleb Jewell who they lured from the Hurricanes and their direct overseas signing Tim Seifert who returns for a second season, and their batting stocks also run deep, with the biggest challenge getting consistent match-winning performances out of their big names.

Laurie Evans was one of those who failed to fire in BBL|14 in his first season at a new club, but he has an impressive record in the Big Bash for the Scorchers that the Renegades would be crazy to overlook at this year's draft where they hold retention rights for the English star. With a stack of local batters currently out of contract, such as Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Wells and Oliver Peake, it's the middle-order the club could be looking to strengthen at the draft, having previously targeted batters that can bowl spin in a similar realm to England gun Jacob Bethell, who the 'Gades have retention rights for, but is likely to be a big part of the Ashes campaign.

Pick 4 – Perth Scorchers

Perth have gone after an opening batter for limited returns in the previous three overseas player drafts, and high performance head Kade Harvey indicated it's time for a different approach for BBL|15. They've still got Finn Allen on the books for next season after the Kiwi blaster penned a two-year deal, but their Keaton Jennings pick didn't pay off as the English left-hander only managed 48 runs in three games in BBL|14 before being dropped. It was a similar story with English county stalwarts Stephen Eskinazi (BBL|13) and Adam Lyth (BBL|12) the seasons prior, with their best overseas batter in recent times being powerful middle-order finisher Laurie Evans who they lost to the Renegades last season. No doubt they'd love to get him back this summer, but they'll be relying on him being overlooked by the 'Gades, who now hold retention rights.

Instead, Harvey said the balance of their bowling line-up with the loss of star left-armer Jason Behrendorff, as well as the unique conditions of their Optus Stadium home ground, would result in a shift of their draft tactics this year.

"I felt like the back 10 overs in our bowling innings wasn't as clinical as what it used to be," he said. "We'll be continuing to develop that and bringing the right bowlers in that we feel can bowl in that phase of the game and even potentially look at the draft, depending on availability, as an option to bring that skill set in.

"We know Australian conditions, and particularly Optus Stadium is a challenge and what we need to have a look at is the balance of our top order given that the nature of our wicket isn't an easy one to acclimatise to quickly. We're reviewing our draft strategy, and with other player movement with Jason Behrendorff moving to the Renegades, we'll look at that a little bit differently for next season. But we certainly feel like we've got the bones with our domestic players, and we've always wanted to add value with our overseas players."