Defending champions Perth Scorchers have signed Faf du Plessis as a replacement overseas player for the first part of the BBL to replace Laurie Evans whose deal was terminated after his positive dope test earlier this month.
Du Plessis did not get picked up in the original draft where he was a platinum player. Scorchers expect him to be available for the first seven matches of the tournament before he returns home for the SA20
Du Plessis, who has 8074 T20 runs, has played one previous BBL match back in 2012 for Melbourne Renegades. Since 2018 he has been especially consistent in the format with an average of 35.45 and strike-rate of 137.47 with three of his four hundreds in that period.
"I think the first thing that jumps to mind is that Perth are four-time champions, which is very impressive," du Plessis said. "Any player who plays around the world wants to win competitions, so it's a great franchise to be part of.
"I'm also keen to come in and learn. I think it's important to learn from other people and organisations, and find out why they're successful. I'm also excited to share my experiences and the things I've learned, and hopefully that can be a great combination."
Kade Harvey, Western Australia's general manager, said: "His record in T20 cricket speaks for itself. He can play in all conditions, bats anywhere in the top six, and has proven himself at the highest level for more than a decade.
"Faf has been outstanding when playing for the Proteas in Australia, and he's no stranger to the sort of pace and bounce that Optus Stadium offers. We believe his versatility, experience and leadership will be really valuable to our squad, and we can't wait to get him around the group."
Perth Scorchers other overseas signings are England duo Phil Salt and Tymal Mills.
Perth Scorchers squad Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Tymal Mills, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Phil Salt, Ashton Turner (captain), Andrew Tye