Leg Buys: Brisbane Heat BBL13 finals hero Josh Brown being chased by Melbourne Renegades

Josh Brown’s BBL finals heroics have already earned him a T20 deal overseas — now a cashed-up Big Bash rival is circling the Brisbane Heat slugger with a deal which could hit six figures.

The Brisbane Heat have a battle on their hands to retain finals hero Josh Brown with the cashed-up Melbourne Renegades circling.

Queenslander Brown, 30, is in demand after an outstanding finals campaign for the title-winning Heat in which he blasted 140 off 57 balls in the challenger against the Adelaide Strikers before backing it up with 53 in the decider against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG.

Having made his professional debut little over 12 months ago after bursting onto the scene in Queensland grade cricket, Brown in recent days landed a deal with the Bangladesh Premier League’s Chattogram Challengers as interest in the part-time batmaker ramps up globally.

However it is on the home front where the bidding war for the opener could be fiercest. Brown is out-of-contract having not re-signed with the Heat before the Big Bash League’s embargo period deadline on Wednesday night.

Josh Brown bats during Brisbane Heat’s BBL final victory. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

With the embargo period in place indefinitely, players cannot re-sign with their clubs or sign deals with new clubs, albeit they can reach in-principle agreements as occurred last February when the Renegades received a commitment with the Melbourne Stars to trade Sam Harper for Adam Zampa.

Because Brown is out-of-contract, he would not need to be traded to another club and could simply sign.

With Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch having retired and with captain Nic Maddison out-of-contract, the Renegades have significant cap space with which to make a play.

Industry sources have indicated that Brown is a key target for the club following its seventh-placed finish in the just-completed season. It’s believed he would demand well in excess of $100,000 per season.

Josh Brown with his proud mum Kris and the BBL trophy. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Queensland Cricket chief executive Terry Svenson said he remained optimistic the Heat would be able to keep Brown.

“We always expected Josh to field plenty of offers given his last few innings and potential,” Svenson told this masthead.

“We’re building something special at the Brisbane Heat and the last two years have shown that. I reckon Josh will want to continue to build his legacy at the Brisbane Heat. He’s an important member of our team”.

Batters Mackenzie Harvey and Jon Wells are understood to have re-committed to the Renegades following rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk’s four-year deal believed to be worth more than $1 million.

Hobart Hurricanes breakout all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary also remains uncontracted for next season and has attracted interest from clubs including the Renegades.