Draft targets: What BBL clubs are on the lookout for with picks 5-8

Not only did Hobart Hurricanes secure their elusive maiden title this year, but they also scored big at the BBL|15 Draft lottery, overcoming long odds to claim the No.5 pick.

Brisbane Heat hold the first pick in next month's BBL|15 overseas player draft (scheduled for June 19) after being drawn first in the non-finalists lottery pool, before the Hurricanes were picked out first from the second pool consisting of the four BBL|14 finalists.

Under the Big Bash draft system, the bottom four teams are the only clubs eligible to receive the first pick, with the last placed team having the best chance (40 per cent) of doing so, while the fifth placed team has the smallest odds (10 per cent).

The process repeats for the top for teams, with the first team eliminated from the BBL|14 finals (Melbourne Stars) receiving the highest chance of pick five, with the reigning champions (Hurricanes) having the smallest probability.

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 finalists (who hold picks 5-8) could be looking for with their BBL|15 Draft picks.

5. Hurricanes | 6. Sixers | 7. Stars | 8. Thunder

Pick 5 – Hobart Hurricanes

The reigning champions were the big winners from the draft lottery, drawn first from the second pool to score pick five despite having the smallest odds (one in 10 chance) of doing so. The Hurricanes have one of the strongest lists in the league with all their key players bar Tim David, who has been tipped to re-sign, locked away for next season. It means Hobart can use pick five to top up their list with the best available overseas player, like what they did last year when they took West Indies ODI skipper Shai Hope in the first round.

The only gap in their squad appears to be the spin bowling department with neither Peter Hatzoglou nor Paddy Dooley re-signed yet, while the loss of opener Caleb Jewell to the Renegades might see them looking to the draft for Mitch Owen's new partner. Along with Hope, the 'Canes also drafted Bangladesh leggie Rishad Hossain last year who they later replaced with Afghan left-armer wrist spinner Waqar Salamkheil.

However, with such a star-studded squad on the books already and David's new deal to come, their major draft consideration may in fact be a tight salary cap. Chirs Jordan returns for the second year of his contract as the club's direct overseas signing and the English allrounder was also allocated to the platinum salary pick at last year's draft. If his contract holds the same value for BBL|15, then the club could use pick five on Jordan and save some cash by entering the draft at a later point.

"We've got our team," said Hobart's high performance boss Salliann Beams. "I'm quite happy that I can say to agents, 'just back off for a bit, we're OK, we're not rushing into anything', especially with the draft process, the core group of our players is pretty much there.

"We have to continue to build where we want to go from a spin department. Our spinners didn't take many wickets but that could have been because our seamers were that good. Our spinners were economical at stages but unfortunately didn't take the wickets we wanted them to. How we use either the overseas draft or local talent in those roles, that's the biggest area I think we've got to focus on."

Pick 6 – Sydney Sixers

The Sixers biggest problem of late has been keeping their overseas stars for the full season, with the departures of James Vince and Akeal Hosein prior to BBL|14 finals contributing to their second straight sets exit in the past three years. The Sixers are one of two clubs along with the Strikers without a men's direct overseas signing on their books for next season after contracting Hosein for seven games in BBL|14 prior to him joining the rival UAE T20 league in January.

And after losing both of their finals last season, general manager Rachael Haynes has already flagged changes for BBL|15. "It's something we need to look at and whether that's with our international signing and potentially making sure they're available for the full season … to give us the balance that we're after and make sure we've got continuity across the season," Haynes said.

The strength of the Sixers list has always been their domestic stability, but with the fluctuations in Josh Philippe's form and a season-ending elbow injury to veteran Daniel Hughes, opener Vince was a crucial pick last summer before he too left for the UAE competition. Hughes is currently out of contract, as is Kurtis Patterson, meaning a top order batter remains high on their draft wishlist. And they could again be on the hunt for a world-class spinner to supplement their young guns Todd Murphy and Joel Davies.

Pick 7 – Melbourne Stars

Evidenced by their No.1 pick of Ben Duckett last year, the Stars desperately need top order batters. While their middle-order with Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Curran and Hilton Cartwright is stacked with superstars, the Stars' collective batting average for their two openers (18.30) was the second lowest in BBL|14, with Duckett's 243 runs in seven games contributing almost 60 per cent of the 421 runs scored by their number one and two batters.

"He brought a quality to the tournament, he got us out of the blocks pretty well every time," Stars head coach Peter Moores said of Duckett. "Ashes next summer so it might be difficult to get him back, but he's a player we'd want to stay in contact with because he's such an awkward guy to bowl at in T20 cricket now.

"Getting runs at the top of the order is a big area for us to get more consistent. We've got a very strong middle-order in Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, and Tom Curran is with us for another year – though he got injured (last season), he's a dangerous lower-order hitter."

Sam Harper is also currently out of contract, meaning the Stars could be on the lookout for a wicketkeeper in the draft, while the loss of Joel Paris to the Scorchers, and with Mark Steketee and Brody Couch yet to secure new deals, they are short on fast bowlers. The club signed Kiwi speedster Adam Milne as an early season replacement last summer while waiting for draftee Usama Mir to arrive, with Moores suggesting they could again go for another spinner in this year's draft despite already signing free agent Mitch Swepson to partner young left-arm wrist spinner Hamish McKenzie.

"Our overseas slots, we could still go down that spin route and have a battery of spin, or we can look at other options to strengthen areas that we know we want to get better," Moores said. "Spin at the MCG always goes pretty well. Usama's that big, tall leggie and at the MCG, where the boundaries are shorter straight than square, if you don't get hit straight as a spinner then you're normally in the game."

Pick 8 – Sydney Thunder

The Thunder on the other hand, with skipper David Warner, Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft and English 'keeper-bat Sam Billings locked away for next season, are set for top order batters. Chris Green and Tanveer Sangha offer depth in the spin department that they may look to add to during the off-season if the slow, spinning conditions at their ENGIE Stadium home ground are to remain similar in BBL|15.

The one area the Thunder are lacking is pace bowling depth after losing Liam Hatcher to the Stars during the post-season free agency window. They drafted New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson for the first half of last season and then covered his loss to the UAE T20 league by signing fast bowling replacements Muhammad Hasnain and George Garton.

General manager Trent Copeland also indicated allrounder support for Daniel Sams in a similar mould to last season's acquisition Sherfane Rutherford would be a target area. "That type of player, particularly a left-hander with power-hitting capabilities and the ability to bowl," he said.

Analysis of WBBL and BBL draft will continue tomorrow