In a surprising turn of events, some of the biggest names in cricket failed to secure contracts during The Hundred Draft held on March 20, Wednesday.
Amongst the notable omissions were Babar Azam, David Warner, and Harmanpreet Kaur, leaving fans and pundits alike stunned by their absence from the roster of teams participating in the tournament.
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Babar Azam, the prolific Pakistani batsman, found himself overlooked in the draft despite being a late addition. His compatriot Mohammad Rizwan also faced a similar fate, failing to attract bids from any of the franchises. The surprises continued as T20 specialist Tim David, along with seasoned campaigners Sunil Narine and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, went unsold, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the selection process.
However, it was the West Indian stars who stole the spotlight, with franchises showing a keen interest in securing their services. Nicholas Pooran emerged as the top pick of the draft, with the Northern Superchargers securing his services in the very first round. London Spirit bolstered their lineup by acquiring the services of Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer, adding firepower to their squad.
Despite their pedigree, players like Jason Roy and Mark Wood faced disappointment as they were overlooked by the teams. Roy's lackluster performance in the previous season for the Oval Invincibles and his absence from the national side contributed to his omission. Wood's injury concerns, coupled with his withdrawal from the upcoming IPL season, further dampened his prospects in the draft. Additionally, Australian stars Tim David and David Warner failed to attract bids, raising eyebrows among cricket enthusiasts.
On a positive note, Rovman Powell and Kieron Pollard found themselves in demand, being picked in the first round by Trent Rockets and Southern Brave, respectively. All players selected during the draft were bought for £125,000, underlining the significant investments made by the franchises.
Meanwhile, the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues from The Hundred 2024 women's draft came as a surprise to many. Both players had impressed with their performances in the recently concluded Women's Premier League (WPL) but failed to garner interest from the participating teams. In contrast, WPL-winning skipper Smriti Mandhana secured a return to the Southern Brave, the franchise with which she tasted success in the 2023 edition.
With the stage set for another thrilling edition of The Hundred, cricket fans can look forward to witnessing top-quality action when the tournament kicks off on July 23. The inaugural match will feature a double-header between the Oval Invincibles and the Birmingham Phoenix, with the finals of both the men's and women's editions scheduled to take place on August 18 at Lord's.
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— The Hundred (@thehundred) March 20, 2024
Current Squads of The Hundred
| Team | Men's Squad | Women's Squad |
| Oval Invincibles | Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Adam Zampa, Jordan Cox, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, Spencer Johnson, Dawid Malan, Nathan Sowter, Donovan Ferreira, Tom Lammonby, Tawanda Muyeye | Chamari Athapaththu, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tash Farrant, Mady Villiers, Paige Scholfield, Sophia Smale, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Jo Gardner, Lizzie Scott, Georgie Boyce |
| Southern Brave | Jofra Archer, Kieron Pollard, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Laurie Evans, Leus du Plooy, Akeal Hosein, Rehan Ahmed, Craig Overton, Finn Allen, Danny Briggs, George Garton, Alex Davies | Smriti Mandhana, Danni Wyatt, Chloe Tryon, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Naomi Dattani, Georgia Adams, Lauren Cheatle, Kalea Moore, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Rhianna Southby, Mary Taylor |
| Northern Superchargers | Ben Stokes, Nicholas Pooran, Adil Rashid, Harry Brook, Reece Topley, Daniel Sams, Matthew Short, Brydon Carse, Adam Hose, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Graham Clark, Callum Parkinson, Ollie Robinson | Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Bess Heath, Linsey Smith, Alice Davidson-Richards, Hollie Armitage, Grace Ballinger, Marie Kelly, Lucy Higham, Ella Claridge, Devina Perrin |
| Manchester Originals | Jos Buttler, Jamie Overton, Phil Salt, Sikandar Raza, Paul Walter, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Hartley, Usama Mir, Wayne Madsen, Josh Tongue, Max Holden, Josh Hull, Fred Klaassen, Mitchell Stanley | Beth Mooney, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Molineux, Laura Wolvaardt, Lauren Filer, Eve Jones, Emma Lamb, Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris, Kathryn Bryce, Phoebe Graham, Ellie Threlkeld, Liberty Heap |
| Birmingham Phoenix | Chris Woakes, Naseem Shah, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Jamie Smith, Will Smeed, Sean Abbott, Tom Helm, James Fuller, Dan Mousley, Jacob Bethell | Amy Jones, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Katie Levick, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Seren Smale, Alisa Lister, Chloe Brewer, Sterre Kalis, Charis Pavely |
| London Spirit | ak Crawley, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Nathan Ellis, Dan Lawrence, Liam Dawson, Dan Worrall, Olly Stone, Adam Rossington, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Matthew Critchley, Michael Pepper | Meg Lanning, Heather Knight, Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Cordelia Griffith, Georgia Redmayne, Eva Gray, Sophie Munro, Hannah Jones, Tara Norris, Niamh Holland |
| Welsh Fire | Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Willey, Shaheen Afridi, Joe Clarke, Haris Rauf, Tom Abell, Glenn Phillips, David Payne, Luke Wells, Roelof van der Merwe, Jake Ball, Stevie Eskinazi, Chris Cooke | Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Tammy Beaumont, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Phoebe Franklin, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Claire Nicholas, Alex Griffiths Trent Rockets |
| Trent Rockets | Joe Root, Rovman Powell, Rashid Khan, Imad Wasim, Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Luke Wood, Tom Banton, John Turner, Sam Hain, Sam Cook, Calvin Harrison, Jordan Thompson, Adam Lyth | Ash Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Grace Scrivens, Alana King, Heather Graham, Bryony Smith, Katie George, Kirstie Gordon, Grace Potts, Alexa Stonehouse, Josie Groves, Kira Chathli, Cassidy McCarthy |