The list of players retained by their franchises for this season’s edition of The Hundred has been released and includes many familiar star names, both from English cricket and overseas.
The Hundred, a 100 ball event featuring both men’s and women’s teams, is set to be staged in the UK in August. This will be the third edition of the tournament, which is growing in popularity among the public.
In all, the eight teams have retained 113 players from those that represented them. The remaining 135 slots will be filled via The Hundred draft, which is due to take place on March 23rd.
For the first time, the women’s competition will form part of the draft.
England central contract players
13 out of the 18 centrally contracted England players will remain with their franchise. They include Ben Stokes, the test captain and ICC Test Player of the Year, who has been retained by the Northern Superchargers.
White-ball captain Josh Buttler will stay with the Manchester Originals, whilst former skipper Joe Root will play again for the Trent Rockets.
A great week for Mandhana
It has been a great week for Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. Just days after she became the most expensive player in the auction for the new Indian women’s T20 league, she has been retained by Southern Brave.
It will be interesting in the following years what policy the BCCI adopts with regard to their women cricketers playing in overseas leagues like The Hundred.
Currently, they ban Indian men from playing in such competitions because they want to retain the exclusivity and supremacy of the equivalent male competition, although there have been plenty of voices calling for this stance to be relaxed.
No such prohibition has been applied to Indian women, perhaps because they have had no major domestic tournament of their own up until now.
Even if both parties want it, will Mandhana and others be allowed to play in The Hundred next year?
It is also worth point out that Mandhana will earn considerably more playing in the new Indian league than she will in The Hundred, where the top female stars earn a maximum of £31,250. She was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the equivalent of £340,000.
Other major female stars retained
Among the other female stars retained are Nat-Sciver-Brunt, the England vice-captain, who was another big winner at the auction earlier this week and who was recently named both ICC and ODI Player of the Year for 2022. She will stay with the Trent Rockets.
Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder Elysse Perry will play again for the Phoenix Bears for whom she was the top scorer last season.
Players released
Among the major names released by their franchises are South Africans Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, the West Indian pair of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell on the men’s side, and Laura Wolvaardt, Megan Schutt, and Beth Mooney on the female side.
They could still be picked up in the player auction, though.
Maxwell returns
One player who will be glad to be back playing again is Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who has been retained by the Birmingham Bears.
There were fears that he may never play cricket again after suffering a freak injury last autumn. He was at a friend’s birthday party and was playing in the garden with a friend who slipped and landed on his leg.
His left fibula was shattered and he ruptured the ligaments on the top of his foot. And although he underwent surgery to repair the damage, there were fears that it could be career ending.
Not only did that rule him out of the BBL (Big Bash League), but it also meant that he could play no part in Australia’s tour of India.
However, he has returned to training in recent weeks and is set to head to India after all to play in the Indian T20 franchise league.
The draft
In the draft, each men’s team can build a squad of 13 players which they can supplement with two wildcard picks.
Meanwhile, women’s teams can select four players in the draft with the remaining places in their squads being filled by open market picks.
As the side that finished bottom of the league last time, Welsh Fire will get first pick in both drafts.
●●●
VISIT OUR BLG TO GET YOUR FIX FOR ALL OF THE MOST CURRENT CRICKET NEWS STORIES & FEATURES
