Babar Azam and other highest-paid cricketers in Big Bash League after 2025/26 player draft

Several Pakistan stars available for next season of Australian tournament

Pakistan's Babar Azam, right, and Mohammad Rizwan will feature in the next Big Bash League in Australia. AFP

When you talk of T20 and league cricket, the first name that pops up is generally the Indian Premier League.

That tournament changed the course of modern cricket and paved the way for other franchise leagues, bringing in billions of dollars into the sport.

After almost two decades, the IPL remains at the pinnacle of cricket and is also one of the most valuable sports commodities on the planet.

But apart from IPL, there are other big and exciting leagues in the world. And the consensus is that while the IPL is the biggest, Australia's Big Bash League has consistently been the best league in cricket.

The Big Bash League has steadfastly eschewed big investments from overseas entities until now, retaining ownership of their product. The result is a high-quality tournament that focuses on creating a family-friendly environment at the ground and encourages grassroots participation.

The tournament runs for a big portion of the Australian summer – December to January – alongside international cricket. The tournament does struggle a bit when it comes to attracting top talent, as many of their own stars are busy with international cricket while overseas players also have commitments with other leagues that run at the same time.

This year, the situation is slightly different. Several Pakistan stars have suddenly been made available for the 2025/26 season. The country's own Pakistan Super League has shifted away from the January-February window, at least for now, and that has allowed star names to be picked for the next season of the Big Bash.

Star batter Babar Azam, fast-bowling ace Shaheen Afridi, and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan were some of the big names picked up during the player draft last week.

The Big Bash operates on a player draft with salary caps. Players are divided into four categories – platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

The top tier platinum category players receive up to A$420,000 (US$270,000) depending on availability. Gold category players receive up to $190,000 followed by silver ($127,000) and bronze ($63,000).

Here, we take a look at the highest paid players in the Big Bash League after the latest player draft. All players in list are platinum category.

Highest-paid players in Big Bash League after draft

Babar Azam (Sydney Sixers) - Up to $270,000

Shaheen Afridi (Brisbane Heat) - $270,000

Mohammad Rizwan (Melbourne Renegades) - $270,000

Chris Jordan (Hobart Hurricanes) - $270,000

Sam Curran (Sydney Sixers) - $270,000

Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars) - $270,000

Lockie Ferguson (Sydney Thunder) - $270,000

Finn Allen (Perth Scorchers) - $270,000

Colin Munro (Brisbane Heat) - $270,000

Jamie Overton (Adelaide Strikers) - $270,000

Tom Curran (Melbourne Stars) - $270,000

Luke Wood (Adelaide Strikers) - $270,000