Big Bash League stars Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey hope the excitement of a new draft, combined with the first relatively normal summer in three years, can help return the competition to its glory days.
More than 270 players have nominated for Sunday's draft, which will be headlined by a first round where only 12 "platinum players" can be selected.
Those platinum players up for grabs include England's Liam Livingstone, Kiwi quick Trent Boult and big-hitting West Indian Andre Russell.
"Obviously the IPL has a draft, the AFL guys have a draft night. It's great for the game," Carey told AAP.
"Even if there wasn't a pandemic in the last couple of years, I think it's great to spice things up."
BBL boss Alistair Dobson said that from a COVID-19 point of view, the league hoped to return to "business as usual", drawing upon the football codes' experiences.
With post-travel hotel quarantine now a thing of the past, Maxwell hoped the draft was just the start of attracting back big-name internationals, and with it, the return of bigger crowds.
"Hopefully (the draft) will reinvigorate a bit of life into it," Maxwell said.
"The last two years have been affected so badly by COVID. It's hard to tell the overseas players they've got to do quarantine for two weeks and then play only half a tournament or play a few games.
"To have them come over and be a part of our Australian summer and have Christmas in brilliant conditions and a brilliant place is a bit more enticing, hopefully this year, with all the restrictions lifted.
"That's an exciting thing for the competition and especially with the T20 World Cup before."
Maxwell and Carey were both confident the pull of the Australian lifestyle could outweigh the financial lure of alternative leagues in the UAE and South Africa.
They also delighted in David Warner's decision to return to the BBL with the Sydney Thunder for the first time since 2013.
"We know anytime we can get those (senior) guys back playing, that makes a better product and makes it a better spectacle for everyone," Maxwell said.
"It's someone all the crowd knows and they can get behind and Davey's a superstar of the T20 format and someone that everyone loves watching."
Adelaide have the right to retain Rashid Khan but are yet to publicly commit to keeping the leg spinner.
Carey said he'd love to see the Afghanistan international remain at the Strikers.
Pakistan star Babar Azam won't be involved.
Dobson told AAP Azam had been "keen" to play but international availability and other commitments stood in the way.
PLATINUM PLAYERS
Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Jason Roy (England), Liam Livingstone (England), Sam Billings (England), Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Andre Russell (West Indies), David Willey (England), Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Chris Jordan (England), Trent Boult (New Zealand).
