England stars, including captain Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone, enlist themselves for the inaugural WBBL draft 

A slew of players from the England women's team have signed up for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) draft scheduled for September 3. National team skipper Heather Knight, as well as the No.1-ranked white-ball bowler Sophie Ecclestone, headline the list of players who will be up for grabs for the franchises.

Knight was part of the Sydney Thunder squad last season, but could not participate due to injury. She could remain with the same franchise, as each side has the option of retaining one player. Knight recently led England to a 2-1 triumph over Australia in the three-match T20I series as part of the Women's Ashes.

Another credible option that the Thunder have in terms of their sole retention pick is Tammy Beaumont. The opening batter has been in terrific form, having scored a double hundred in the Ashes Test against Australia. She also became the first women's player to score a century in the ongoing Hundred competition.

Sophie Ecclestone, meanwhile, is one of the most sought-after names in the growing women's franchise cricket domain. The 24-year-old represented Sydney Sixers last season, playing a starring role in the team's run to the final. She picked up 20 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.29.

Other established names like Danni Wyatt, Issy Wong, and Alice Capsey have also put their names in for the WBBL draft. Issy Wong and Alice Capsey were instrumental in their franchises' success in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) earlier this year.

Other English players to have enlisted in the draft are Emma Lamb, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sarah Glenn, and Lauren Bell.

There are three slabs available for the overseas players to select, which are - gold (AUD$90,000), silver (AUD$65,000), and bronze (AUD$40,000). A few select candidates will be chosen by the WBBL to establish a platinum tier for AUD$110,000.

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Harmanpreet Kaur and Hayley Matthews were part of the first set of overseas names for the WBBL Draft

International captains Harmanpreet Kaur, Sophie Devine, Hayley Matthews, Sune Luus, and Chamari Athapaththu were the first set of overseas players unveiled for the inaugural draft.

The draft lottery was conducted on July 13, when Sydney Thunder got the right to make the first pick. The upcoming tournament will consist of 59 matches in total and is set to begin from October 19 onwards with a clash between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars.