2019 UPCL Draft

It's draft day, and we've got 26 players queued up, waiting to see where they will play their 2019 season.

First up, there are two picks in the first round. The Southern Monarchs are drafting 1st overall after a trade with the Todavía Stills. This year, Salmo is the top pick, heading to the Monarchs after failed seasons with the Eastside Sharks in 2018 and the Lighton Prestige in 2017. Salmo is a boom or bust pick, and a bit of a surprise for the Monarchs, who are looking to rebuild on the fly.

The North Modernistic Nighthawks have the 2nd pick, ending the first round. This is a compensatory pick they received after B. Chapman announced her retirement from the league, and they'll look to fill the hole she left behind with Lionel. Previously of the Commerce Tradewinds, and also a former Modernistic Union man, Lionel joins a Nighthawks side on the cusp of great things with a massive chip on his shoulder to prove his worth to his now regional-rival former team.

The second round sees the Web City Spiders using the 3rd overall pick they acquired from the Diamond Gems for Shadow. Their rebuilding year begins with the selection of Avril, a sophomore who played her rookie season with the Southern Monarchs. Avril should balance out the gritty identity of the other three players currently on the Spiders roster.

The Tysini Hummingbirds fill their roster with the 4th overall pick, acquired in a trade that sent Brownie to the Royal Crowns. A rebuilding year for the Hummingbirds sees highly coveted rookie Sarah Brookes join Vincent Sullivan as the two acquisitions to replace the outgoing Princess and Brownie on the promoted Premier side's roster.

The Queens Flames end the second round with the 5th overall pick, a compensatory selection awarded for Kyle's second retirement. The Flames select the former Central Warrior third-year Mario to complete their Governor's Cup-defending roster. A mid-range player, Mario should complement the high-end talent with solid depth down the roster as he slides into a familiar 3/4 role.

The fourth round begins and ends with the Southern Monarchs, who hold the 6th overall pick from a trade with the Archtown Arrows. The Monarchs complete their roster with Mams, the former Coastal rival and Viewpoint Sound Meteors captain. Mams joins her son, Panda, on the Monarchs roster, creating a truly heartwarming moment for the family on draft day.

The fifth and final round holds the remaining 20 picks, beginning with the Archtown Arrows at 7th overall. A rebuilding season that saw them trade their captain will commence with the selection of A. Charlton, the former Golden Pilot. Charlton has had good years in the past, and should be a powerful force on a streamlined Arrows roster.

The Viewpoint Sound Meteors have the 8th overall pick, and will look to replace their former captain Mams with Frosty, the former Stonebridge Wolf. Frosty had an abysmal 2018, but will look to bounce back on the coast, joining the other Meteors acquisition Princess as providers of an aggressive playing style for the team.

The Everton Eagles look to replace 2017's MVP, Blizzard, with the 9th overall pick. The Eagles didn't waste the good pick, selecting the former Whitewater Shores captain Bear to be Blizzard's replacement. Bear's rough 2018 got him to this point, and he'll join a team with plenty of talent to go around.

The Harrison Specters will round out the top ten with the 10th overall pick as they look to replace Mitchell, a rookie pick last year that didn't pan out as expected. They'll add the previously mentioned former 2017 MVP Blizzard, as the former Eagle transfers to another Northeastern team. Blizzard joins a team not lacking for leadership, but her veteran presence should stabilize the 3/4 position.

The Diamond Gems continue their overall at 11th overall, looking to see who will replace after Rosalina after trading to cover Cassandra's retirement and Citrus' exit in trade. Joining Shadow and Katelynn as newcomers on the Gems is the former Midland Predator, Leonardo. A boom or bust cricket hitter, Leonardo should give the team an aggressive tilt alongside the returning Smokey and Pedey.

The Swordpoint Blades are picking 12th overall, looking to replace Jason N. after making a borderline call to cut him following his tough rookie year. Coming aboard for 2019 is the veteran Sugar, previously of the Web City Spiders. Sugar is a good depth player who will mainly battle with Stealth for playing time.

The Infinity Torpedoes shipped Solaris to the Commerce Tradewinds, ultimately trading up to 13th overall in return. The draft reaches its midway point as the Torpedoes select Hughbert, the former Southridge Defender third-year player. Hughbert was one of the Defenders' few missteps in youth development, but he'll be asked to play only a small role on a stacked Torpedoes roster.

The Atlantic Pirates begin the second half of the draft as they use the 14th overall pick to replace Max after he flamed out in one season for the team. Jason N. will be the newest Pirate, as the sophomore formerly of the Blades looks to make a better impression on his second team.

The Whitewater Shores hold the 15th overall pick, and are guaranteed to have a new face on the team to replace long-time captain Bear. This time, they'll poach Rosalina from their bitter rivals, the Diamond Gems, adding the third-year soft-spoken star to a team looking to build a more skill-based reputation.

The Southridge Defenders hold the 16th overall pick. Famous for their myriad rookie selections in the last three years, the largely home-grown team will go a different direction this year, adding Wario from the Victoria Spurs. An aggressive third-year player, Wario should provide a bit more muscle to a relatively soft Defenders side.

The Westside Rockers can still get their former player back at 17th overall. The Rockers opt to go a different way, adding the enigmatic Chimpy from their Urban rivals, the Modernistic Union. Chimpy provides a certain deceptive quality to an otherwise straightforward team.

The Web City Spiders complete their trio of additions at 18th overall. Joining Waluigi and Avril as this year's acquisitions is the former Pacific Volcano, Chicky Phil. A typically underrated player, Chicky Phil will play a vital role in the pure 4 slot for cricket while also likely clocking in as their third best in pool.

The Pacific Volcanoes will have to replace Chicky Phil with the 19th overall pick, and will do so with the former Westside Rocker Cowzart. This is the second time the Volcanoes have picked up a Rockers castoff, the first being when they added Chicky Phil a few years ago.

The Eastside Sharks are up with the 20th overall pick, and see a majority of the available players remaining are rookies. The Sharks go with a rookie this time, adding Taylor Momsen a year after trading Taylor Swift away to the Commerce Tradewinds, although these two players really only share a name. The Sharks will maintain a skillfully gritty composition on their roster with few soft spots.

The Modernistic Union look to move on from Chimpy at 21st overall, and are sure to welcome a new face to their team. Their selection is another rookie, Sydney C., who brings a similar unpredictability but far less drama to the Union roster. She will not be asked to do much in her rookie season, which makes this Select team a positive landing spot for the rookie.

The Stonebridge Wolves have the 22nd overall pick in their quest to replace the departed Frosty. Wild Thing will be the replacement, coming from being cut by the Archtown Arrows to join a team well-suited to his aggressive playing style. Wild Thing has shown skill in both sports before and will look to put it all together under Juno's leadership.

The Golden Pilots look to replace a longtime veteran with the 23rd overall pick. Max is their choice for this, as the former Pirate, Flame, and Lumberjack joins the Pilots in place of A. Charlton. Max should fit in nicely to a team with depth in place, battling with Sparkles for playing time at the Premier level.

The draft is winding down as the Central Warrior step up for the 24th overall pick. Replacing Mario on this talented team's roster is the rookie Andrew, who is expected to receive only minor playing time in cricket while trying to establish himself as a promising pool rookie.

The final true selection comes at 25th overall for the Midland Predators, who select the rookie Kitty, a late addition to the draft pool. Kitty is a docile and calm rookie, expected to provide a certain skill that will soften the Predators' attacking style.

With the 26th and final selection, the Victoria Spurs are left with Mitchell, the former Harrison Specter. This is the most like-for-like swap seen in today's draft, with Mitchell having just one less year of experience compared to Wario, who he replaces.

That's it for this year's UPCL Draft. Over the next few days, I will be working on updating the cumulative documents to reflect the draft. There is also the addition of the Club Cricket Challenge 2018, which sees 18-club oriented teams battle for the title in a short competition. Later, in December, the Heart of the Game Tournament returns, with a featured event of 13-ball this year ahead of that discipline's potential inclusion in the main Tournament for 2019.