Franchise Cricket

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Caribbean Premier League hope to add a new team from the United States to its women's tournament within the next two years.

CPL chief executive Pete Russell has made it a strategic priority to expand the women's T20 franchise competition from three teams to four in the near future.

BBC Sport understands the CPL want to bring the plan to fruition for the 2026 edition, which is set to be held in Barbados, and will to engage the relevant stakeholders over the next 11 months.

Should ongoing governance issues involving USA Cricket delay that process then CPL officials are confident they can deliver it the following year.

The plans are still at an early stage but it is anticipated an American team would mirror existing women's CPL rules with only four overseas players and the rest made up of USA-qualified players.

Such a step would also provide valuable exposure for some of the USA's national team players before cricket's return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles in 2028.

A men's team from the USA are set to automatically qualify for LA 2028, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) are yet to decide whether a women's team will be included amid concerns over their competitiveness.

The USA's women's T20 team are ranked 25th in the world and have never qualified for a major ICC event.

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West Indies duo Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard have been signed as wildcards by MI Emirates in the International League T20.

Pooran scored 301 runs at an average of 37.62 last season and Pollard added 182 runs at 45.50.

The pair were part of the MI squad that won their first title in 2024.

Pollard, 38, is the second-highest run-scorer in T20 history and is 325 runs behind compatriot Chris Gayle.

There are 10 group games in the tournament or Pollard to close on, or surpass, Gayle.

The ILT20 has been brought forward because of the T20 World Cup in February and will take place between 2 December and 4 January.

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Shai Hope has signed for SA20 side Pretoria Capitals, replacing England all-rounder Will Jacks.

The West Indies batter will be playing in the SA20 for the first time but again links up with the Capitals having previously played for both Delhi in the IPL and Dubai in the ILT20.

In his one ILT20 season with the Capitals earlier this year, the 31-year-old scored a tournament-high 527 runs at an average of 59 to lead the franchise to their first title.

He is currently playing for West Indies on their white-ball tour of Bangladesh.

Jacks has been ruled out of the SA20 after being named in England's Test squad for this winter's tour of Australia.

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Australia seamer Tayla Vlaeminck has been ruled out of her fourth consecutive Women's Big Bash League having failed to recover from a injury to her right shoulder.

Vlaeminck has not played since she sustained the injury while fielding at the T20 World Cup in October last year.

The 26-year-old, who has represented her country on 29 occasions since 2018, has had a series of injuries through her career, including twice dislocating her left shoulder, foot stress fractures and two ACL reconstructions.

She is yet to represent her WBBL side Melbourne Renegades since signing for them in 2022, but was retained on Cricket Australia's contract list earlier this year.

"I'm obviously a little bit shattered about missing out," said Vlaeminck.

"Unfortunately my shoulder's just not loving bowling at the moment. I think we were hoping that my shoulder would probably respond a little bit better to bowling than it has.

"We lined up Big Bash to be that sort of end point. We sat pretty nice there [at] that year mark, and just in the last four weeks trying to ramp that up it just hasn't responded the way thought it would."

The WBBL starts on 9 November and runs to 13 December, with Renegades the defending champions having won the 10th edition of the competition last year.

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Jon Lewis has left his role as Trent Rockets women's head coach after three years in charge of The Hundred side.

Having been appointed ahead of the 2023 campaign, the 55-year-old former Durham men's captain and coach oversaw 11 Rockets wins in total but narrowly missed out on the knockout stages in each of his three seasons at the helm.

After a fourth-placed finish in his first campaign, the Rockets were fifth the following year but missed out on the top three by a point, before coming fourth again in 2025.

"It's been a great experience coaching the Rockets and I've loved my time at Trent Bridge, so it's tough to be moving on, especially with the new possibilities for The Hundred next summer," Lewis said.

"I wish everyone the best for 2026 and beyond, and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to return to Trent Bridge in one form or another in the future!"

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England all-rounder Liam Dawson and World Cup winners James Vince and Alex Hales were all drafted for the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Saturday.

Dawson, 35, was signed by new franchise Royal Champs, while Vince returns to Delhi Bulls and Hales joins Ajman Titans.

Hales is joined by Essex's Luc Benkenstein and Lancashire's Tom Aspinwall at the new side, while Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke was added as an optional player. He could cover if someone is unavailable for part of the tournament or sign as a replacement.

Top-order batter Vince, who scored 214 runs in 10 innings last season, is joined by Sussex's James Coles and Nottinghamshire's Tom Moores at the Bulls.

Defending champions Deccan Gladiators picked up seamers Richard Gleeson, Jake Ball and Jordan Thompson, while George Scrimshaw joins Quetta Qavalry, Matty Hurst was signed by Aspin Stallions and Sean Dickson went to Vista Riders.

Australia's Chris Green (Titans), West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford (Stallions), Fabien Allen and Evin Lewis (both Qavalry) and Sri Lanka's Dilshan Madushanka (Riders) were also signed.

England's Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jason Roy, Chris Jordan, Moeen Ali were among the players pre-signed, alongside West Indies' Nicholas Pooran and Australia's Tim David and 45-year-old India spinner Harbhajan Singh.

The tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

• Full Abu Dhabi T10 League squad lists, external

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England World Cup winners Jason Roy and Chris Jordan have been signed by Royal Champs in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Top-order batter Roy, 35, has played for three sides previously in the tournament, scoring 413 runs in 16 innings.

All-rounder Jordan, 37, has also represented three other sides and has taken 24 wickets in 26 games.

They are joined at the new franchise, who will coached by Courtney Walsh, by Sri Lanka duo Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Australia's Daniel Sams and United Arab Emirates' Rahul Chopra as direct signings.

Elsewhere on Thursday, returning side Northern Warriors named West Indies duo Shimron Hetmyer and Johnson Charles, New Zealand pair Trent Boult and Colin Munro and Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera as their direct signings.

Vista Riders, who are one of five new teams, announced South Africa's Faf Du Plessis and Dwaine Pretorius, Australia's Matthew Wade, India's S Sreesanth and Unmukt Chand, Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa and United Arab Emirates' Harshit Kaushik.

The eight-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has joined Indian Premier League franchise Lucknow Super Giants as a strategic advisor.

Williamson, 35, played for Durban Super Giants, who are part of the same ownership group which also includes Manchester Originals, in this year's SA20.

He has not played for Lucknow, currently coached by former Australia opener Justin Langer, in the IPL but is a veteran of 10 seasons in the competition.

Williamson, who played for London Spirit in this year's Hundred, signed a casual playing agreement for 2025-26 with New Zealand rather than a full central contract, which allows him greater flexibility over his international schedule.

He will miss the T20 series against England which begins on Sunday but is in the squad for the one-day internationals which follow.

In announcing the appointment, Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka said: "Kane has been a part of the Super Giants family and it's an absolute delight to welcome him in his new role as strategic advisor.

"His leadership, strategic insight, deep understanding of the game, and ability to inspire players make him an invaluable addition to the team."

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England batter Phil Salt has signed for Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Salt, 29, is currently ranked second in the T20 batter world rankings and the right-hander is the only Englishman to have more than one international T20 century.

He hit his fourth - the second-most behind Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell's five in internationals - against South Africa in September.

Salt had previously played for three other sides in the 10-over competition and has scored 709 runs in 33 innings.

He is joined by West Indies trio Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, while Australia batter Tim David, Pakistan's Salman Irshad and United Arab Emirates' Mohammad Rohid round off Bulls' direct signings.

The eight-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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White-ball superstar Nicholas Pooran will return to defending champions Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, but there was no Jos Buttler among their direct signings.

Pooran, 30, is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament's history with 1,438 and captained Gladiators to the title in 2024.

Buttler, 35, played in the tournament for the first time last year, and impressed with an average of 60.50.

Pooran was joined by Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, West Indies duo Andre Russell and Akeal Hosein, English batter Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Pakistan's Usman Tariq and United Arab Emirates' Ibrar Ahmad as Gladiator's direct signings.

Kohler-Cadmore is the highest run-scorer in the tournament's history with 1,502.

The eight-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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Legendary India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who turned 45 in July, has signed for Aspin Stallions in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Harbhajan last played an official T20 in the Indian Premier League in 2021, but has played for India Champions in the past two editions of the World Championship of Legends.

He took 25 wickets in 28 T20s for India, with his last game in 2016, and he claimed 150 wickets in 163 IPL games.

England wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who has captained Oval Invincibles to three successive Hundred titles, and left-arm seamer Tymal Mills have also signed for Stallions, who are a new franchise for 2025.

West Indies batter Andre Fletcher, Sri Lanka duo Avishka Fernando and Binura Fernando and United Arab Emirates' Zohair Iqbal round off Stallions' direct signings.

Stallions are one of five new sides alongside Vista Riders, Ajman Titans, Royal Champs and Ajman Titans and they will join defending champions Gladiators, Delhi Bulls and Northern Warriors in the ninth season.

The tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali and South Africa batter Rilee Rossouw have signed for Ajman Titans in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Moeen, 38, has played from Team Abu Dhabi in previous editions, while Rossouw, 36, scored 131 runs for Deccan Gladiators last year.

They are joined by ex-India spinner Piyush Chawla, England batters Dan Lawrence and Will Smeed, Australia quick Jason Behrendorff and United Arab Emirates' Alishan Sharafu as the direct signings at the new team.

Lawrence averaged 30.75 for Chennai Braves last season, while Smeed has previously played for Gladiators.

Titans are one of five new sides alongside Vista Riders, Aspin Stallions, Royal Champs and Ajman Titans and they will join defending champions Gladiators, Delhi Bulls and Northern Warriors in the ninth season.

The tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has signed as an icon player for Quetta Qavalry in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Livingstone, 32, played for Bangla Tigers in last year's tournament, scoring 61 runs and taking one wicket in seven games.

He will be joined by West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder, Pakistan seamer Mohammad Amir, Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, United States wicketkeeper Andries Gous, South Africa spinner Imran Tahir and United Arab Emirates captain Muhammad Waseem as the new franchise's direct signings.

Qavalry are one of five new teams alongside Vista Riders, Aspin Stallions, Royal Champs and Ajman Titans.

They will join defending champions Deccan Gladiators, Delhi Bulls and Northern Warriors in the ninth season.

The tournament in the United Arab Emirates is due to take place between 18 and 30 November.

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The squads for the fourth edition of the International League T20 are now finalised after Wednesday's draft - and six England players from October's tour of New Zealand are set to play in the tournament.

Batters Phil Salt, Tom Banton and Jordan Cox, all-rounder Sam Curran and spinner Adil Rashid were already signed before the auction, and they were joined by spinning all-rounder Liam Dawson.

There are also players on the edge of the squad in Liam Livingstone and Olly Stone and past World Cup winners in Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali.

Up and coming players including Scott Currie, Tawanda Muyeye and James Rew also get the chance to impress.

Here are the full squads for the tournament set to take place between 2 December and 4 January.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Liam Livingstone, Alishan Sharafu, Alex Hales, Sherfane Rutherford, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Michael Pepper, George Garton, Brandon McMullen, Ibrar Ahmed, Ajay Kumar, Adnan Idrees Muhammad, Abdul Manan Ali, Mayank Chowdary, Khary Pierre, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Unmukt Chand.

Desert Vipers

Dan Lawrence, Max Holden, David Payne, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sam Curran, Andries Gous, Vriitya Aravind, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Qais Ahmad, Sanjay Pahal, Bilal Tahir, Faisal Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Tom Bruce, Matiullah Khan, Tawanda Muyeye, Faridoon Dawoodzai.

Dubai Capitals

Jordan Cox, Rovman Powell, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Waqar Salamkheil, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawadullah, Jimmy Neesham, Muhammad Farooq, Tymal Mills, Scott Currie, Mohammad Nabi, Farhan Khan, Anudeep Chenthamara, Usman Najeeb, Ritesh Mallikarjuna Grandhi, Shayan Jahangir, Rushil Ugarkar, Naveen Bidiasee, Toby Albert, Akshay Wakhare.

Gulf Giants

Aayan Afzal Khan, Mark Adair, Gerhard Erasmus, Blessing Muzarabani, Moeen Ali, James Vince, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asif Khan, Zuhaib Zubair, Sean Dickson, Tabraiz Shamsi, Liam Dawson, Fred Klaassen, Haider Razzaq, Meet Bhavsar, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Lorcan Tucker, Chris Wood, Tom Moores, Ramon Simmonds.

MI Emirates

Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Muhammad Waseem, Kamindu Mendis, Muhammad Rohid, Jordan Thompson, Naveen-ul-Haq, Andre Fletcher, Nosthush Kenjige, Mohamed Shafeeq, Zain Ul Abidin, Usman Khan, Ackeem Auguste, Arab Gul, Tajinder Dhillon, Zahoor Khan, Shakib Al Hasan.

Sharjah Warriorz

Dinesh Karthik, Sikandar Raza, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tim David, Johnson Charles, Tim Southee, Saurabh Netravalkar, Adil Rashid, Tom Abell, Junaid Siddique, James Rew, Nathan Sowter, Dwaine Pretorius, Jayden Seales, Harmeet Singh, Wasim Akram, Mohamed Nawfer, Mohamed Aslam, Raees Ahmad, Richard Ngarava, Shubham Ranjane, Ethan D'Souza, Taskin Ahmed, Abdul Salman Khan.

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England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson and former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin both went unsold in the International League T20 auction in the United Arab Emirates.

Ashwin, 39, retired from the Indian Premier League to allow him to pursue franchise opportunities around the world and has signed a deal to play in Australia's Big Bash League.

Anderson, 43, featured in The Hundred for Manchester Originals this summer but has also failed to get picked up in the IPL, SA20 and Big Bash since his retirement from Test cricket last summer.

West Indies batter Andre Fletcher commanded the biggest fee at $260,000 (approx £193,000).

That was closely followed by Hampshire bowler Scott Currie, who went for $250,000 (approx £185,000). Currie has represented Scotland but was called into England's T20 squad for the tour of Ireland in September but did not feature.

England all-rounder Liam Dawson sold for $170,000 (£126,000), while spinner Nathan Sowter and seamer Tymal Mills went for $100,000 (£74,000) and $80,000 (£59,000) respectively.

South Africa's Dwaine Pretorius sold for $120,000 (£89,000), Scotland's Brandon McCullen $110,000 (£81,500) and Pakistan quick Naseem Shah $80,000 (£60,000).

England's Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Luke Wood were among the players retained and pre-signed.

The tournament takes place between 2 December and 4 January.

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Star names including India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and England seamer James Anderson have put themselves forward for Wednesday's International League T20 auction in the United Arab Emirates.

Ashwin, 39, has retired from the Indian Premier League to allow him to pursue franchise opportunities around the world, while Anderson, 43, is looking to earn a deal after featuring in The Hundred for Manchester Originals this summer.

Anderson, who is England's all-time leading wicket-taker, has failed to get picked up in the IPL, SA20 and Big Bash since his retirement from Test cricket last summer.

He is one of 58 England-qualified players in the auction alongside all-rounders Rehan Ahmed and Liam Dawson, batter Jason Roy and seamers Tymal Mills and Sam Cook.

South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma is on the list alongside spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, while quick Naseem Shah and batter Fakar Zaman are the standout options from Pakistan.

Spinner Gudakesh Motie and batter Evin Lewis are among 21 West Indies players on the list, while Mohammad Nabi leads a strong Afghanistan contingent.

Josh Little and Paul Stirling are two of the five Ireland players to register, with seven Scotland players hoping to earn a contract.

The auction is from 11:00 BST on Wednesday, with 28 full member overseas slots to fill and nine from associate nations.

The tournament takes place between 2 December and 4 January.

• Full auction list, external

Current squads and auction purse

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Purse: USD 825,000 for 13 players): Liam Livingstone, Alishan Sharafu, Alex Hales, Sherfane Rutherford, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Jason Holder (Wildcard), Piyush Chawla (Wildcard)

Desert Vipers (Purse: USD 802,500 for 14 players): Lockie Ferguson, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Max Holden, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Andries Gous, Shimron Hetmyer (Wildcard)

Dubai Capitals (Purse: USD 1,035,000 for 13 players): Jordan Cox, Rovman Powell, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Waqar Salamkheil, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawadullah, Jimmy Neesham, David Willey (Wildcard), Leus de Plooy (Wildcard)

Gulf Giants (Purse: USD 1,035,000 for 13 players): James Vince, Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Gerhard Erasmus, Mark Adair, Azmatullah Omarzai, Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kyle Mayers (Wildcard), Matthew Forde (Wildcard)

MI Emirates (Purse: USD 800,000 for 15 players): AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kamindu Mendis, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Muhammad Waseem, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow

Sharjah Warriorz (Purse: USD 1,025,000 for 14 players): Tim Southee, Dinesh Karthik, Johnson Charles, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Saurabh Netravalkar, Sikandar Raza, Tim David, Tom Abell (Wildcard), Adil Rashid (Wildcard)

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Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has signed to play for Sharjah Warriorz in the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.

Karthik, 40, has played in 412 T20s and is the 50th-highest run-scorer in the format's history.

He became the first Indian to play in the SA20 last year and will now play in the ILT20 for the first time.

His compatriot spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is also set to feature in his first franchise league outside of the IPL, but his team is still unknown.

Karthik joins England leg-spinner Adil Rashid at Warriorz, while Australia's Tim David, New Zealand's Tim Southee and Zimbabwe's Sikandar Riza are also on the roster.

The auction for the six teams to complete their squads takes place on 1 October, with England's Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Luke Wood among the players retained and pre-signed.

England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson is among the players to enter the auction.

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Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will play for Sydney Thunder in this winter's Big Bash League and will become the first men's India international to play in the T20 league.

Ashwin, 39, will travel to Australia following his commitments at the ILT20, likely in early January.

He retired from international cricket in December 2024 and from the Indian Premier League last year, making him eligible for global franchise leagues.

In announcing the deal, the Big Bash described it as "one of the biggest signings in BBL history".

It will be hoped a player of Ashwin's stature - he played 287 times for India and is one of the greatest Test spinners of his generation - can boost the league's profile.

The Big Bash is considering private investment into its' eight franchises, which would follow on from similar deals for The Hundred.

The Hundred sales generated more than £500m with four franchises bought by India-based groups.

Ashwin will play under former Australia opener David Warner at Thunder.

"Thunder were crystal clear about how they'd use me and brave enough to back it," Ashwin said.

"My conversations with the leadership were excellent, and we're fully aligned on my role.

"I love how Dave Warner plays the game, and it's always better when your leader shares your mindset. I can't wait to perform for the Thunder Nation."

The ILT20, which begins in early December, will be Ashwin's first experience of a franchise league outside of the IPL. His team is expected to be confirmed at next week's auction.