Former Indian pacer Siddarth Kaul created history by becoming the first-ever male cricketer to enter the Big Bash League (BBL) draft. He is the first Indian player in the BBL draft for the 15th edition of the tournament.

First Indian Player in BBL Draft

Previously, we’ve witnessed several Indian women’s cricketers represent various franchises in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) across multiple editions. However, Siddarth Kaul’s inclusion in the BBL 2025 draft is a historic achievement as he is the first Indian male cricketer to register for the Big Bash League draft. On that note, let’s look at why Indian players are not in BBL and how Siddharth Kaul became the first Indian player in BBL draft.

Who is Siddarth Kaul：All You Need to Know

Siddarth is a 35-year-old Indian pacer who made his T20 debut in 2012 for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has taken 182 wickets in 145 T20 innings, including his best bowling figures of 5/12. Overall, the former Indian pacer has six four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.

Siddarth Kaul’s Career in National Team

Additionally, Siddarth has picked up 297 wickets from 88 matches in first-class cricket and 199 wickets from 111 matches in List A games. The right-arm pacer has represented India in three ODIs and 4 T20I matches. He has four wickets in the shortest format of the game, donning the blue Indian jersey. In 2018, he made his ODI and T20I debut for the national side and last played for them in 2021.

Siddarth Kaul’s Career in IPL

The former Indian pacer started his Indian Premier League career with Delhi Daredevils and served the franchise for two seasons (2013 & 2014). He then joined Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 and was part of the franchise for five seasons until 2021. And in IPL 2022, Siddarth Kaul was part of the Royal Challengers Bangaluru. He has also played County Cricket for Northamptonshire in the previous edition of the County Championship.

In the Indian Premier League, Kaul has picked up 68 wickets from 54 matches across seven seasons. He has one four-wicket haul to his name, which came during his first season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017. Moreover, the four-wicket haul of 4/29 in his best bowling figures in the Indian Premier League.

Indian player in BBL Draft：Why is Siddarth Allowed to Enter？

Siddarth Kaul is allowed to enter the BBL draft as the Indian player has retired from playing domestic cricket for his state team, Punjab, and the Indian Premier League, too. The BCCI doesn’t allow Indian players to compete in overseas leagues like BBL, CPL, ILT20, SA20, and others. The Indian players will have to retire from playing in BCCI’s domestic tournaments and the IPL in order to play in other leagues. Once the players have been part of an overseas league, they aren’t allowed to return to playing domestic cricket or the IPL in India. Thus, due to this rule, Indian players are not in BBL.

34-year-old Siddarth Kaul – owner of six international caps, 55 IPL caps and an U-19 World Cup – calls time on his cricket career in India, opening up the possibility of playing overseas

Read more: https://t.co/AiT9R9sCVw pic.twitter.com/i1nrVIW35B

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 28, 2024

However, the same rule doesn’t apply to Indian women’s cricketers as they are allowed to compete in overseas leagues. Jemimah Rodigues was picked up by Brisbane Heat Women in the draft ahead of the WBBL Season 10. The previous edition of the Women’s Big Bash League had witnessed six Indian players in action. Dayalan Hemalatha made his WBBL debut with Perth Scorchers, while Melbourne Stars had roped in the services of wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia for her debut season. Pacer Shikha Pandey and batter Jemimah Rodrigues were signed by the Brisbane Heat. The Stars had roped in Deepti Sharma, while Smriti Mandhana was part of the Adelaide Strikers setup.

Our Opinion

As our aspect, the BCCI should allow male Indian cricketers to compete in the overseas T20 leagues, allowing the players to compete against the best cricketers in the world. This will help the Indian cricketers get better at their game and will groom future stars for the country with early exposure, as the youngsters will get the opportunity to run shoulders against the top cricketers and play on different tracks too.

Siddarth Kaul and James Anderson have been nominated for the BBL 15 Draft.

The draft is set to take place on June 19th. 🏏#Cricket #BBL #Anderson #Kaul pic.twitter.com/DnfDO7HVcJ

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) June 17, 2025

Can We See Indians in BBL 15？

The bad news is that, the lone Indian player in BBL draft, Siddarth Kaul, wasn’t picked up at the recently concluded Big Bash League draft that took place on June 19. Thus, the Indian players are not in BBL once again.