Some more of the best players in world cricket have been signed up to play in The Hundred, the new fast-paced family-friendly 100-ball cricket competition to be launched this summer. However, no Indian cricketer appears in any of the eight franchise teams.
Thirty-five men’s players have been revealed after being chosen out of more than 500 overseas and English players vying for a place in the competition, the England Cricket Board announced on Tuesday. Alongside this, a further eight English and eight Australian star women’s players have also been announced.
Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, David Warner, Kagiso Rabada and Tom Abell are the top five men’s picks in The Hundred Draft to fill the remaining 35 spaces in the men’s squads.
Manchester Originals were the busiest team, signing 10 players. As well as Pooran and Rabada, they also drafted Harry Gurney, Jamie Overton and Shadab Khan amongst others.
Other England stars signed up include Ravi Bopara going to London Spirit, Olly Stone joining Northern Superchargers, and Saqib Mahmood being picked up by Oval Invincibles.
The eight teams have now filled all but one place in their men’s squads — they each have one Vitality Wildcard pick each to fill the final slot in June.
Men’s competition features three of world’s top five male international T20 batters and four of top five male bowlers.
Players are being signed on an individual basis by the eight teams in the women’s competition, with no equivalent draft event. Teams will continue to fill their squads over the coming months.
World’s top female T20 bowler Sophie Ecclestone and leading female T20 batter Beth Mooney are among the latest women’s star signings. Women’s competition currently features three of world’s top five female international T20 batters and bowlers.
The women’s competition will headline the start of The Hundred with Oval Invincibles taking on Manchester Originals in a standalone women’s match, live on Sky and BBC on July 21.
