Men’s and women’s teams confirm retained players for third year of The Hundred

Image by ecb.co.uk

Rashid Khan, Ellyse Perry, Jos Buttler, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Smriti Mandhana and Glenn Maxwell are among the players confirmed last week by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as returning to their teams to play in The Hundred this summer.

Deadline Day sees the eight teams in The Hundred confirming the players they are retaining in their men’s and women’s squads, ahead of the third year of the competition.

Across both competitions, 113 players have been retained in total, meaning 135 spots remain to be filled at The Hundred Draft powered by Sage, and across the open market process in the women’s competition.

Teams in the men’s competition are able to retain 10 players, and women’s teams can retain four of their players. Six men’s sides have retained all 10, while Welsh Fire – under the new leadership of Australian great Mike Hussey – will have eight places to fill at The Draft, at which they’ll have the first pick.

The women’s competition will be hosting a draft for the first time, with Tammy Beaumont’s Welsh Fire the first side to pick. The likes of England stars Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt and Kate Cross, as well as a host of international players, will be up for grabs.

The final list for The Hundred Draft powered by Sage is due to be confirmed on 28 February. Teams in the men’s competition will this year be able to make two Vitality Wildcard selections.

The Hundred will kick off its third year at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August with a Trent Rockets v Southern Brave double-header – the first of 68 games that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.

More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.

There will be an initial, exclusive window to buy tickets from 15-28 March for anyone who has previously bought tickets for The Hundred. Those yet to attend can sign up in advance at thehundred.com for priority ticket access from 5–18 April. Tickets will then go on general sale on Thursday 20 April. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.

Trent Rockets and England Women all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt said, “It’s great to be retained by Trent Rockets. We came pretty close last time round and we want to build on that this year. The women’s competition having a draft this year is really exciting, and I think we’ve got a good core of players to build on. It’s a really good competition to play in, with brilliant atmospheres and great cricket, and I’m looking forward to being back at Trent Bridge.”

Moeen Ali, winner of two ICC World Cups with England Men and one of 10 retained players with Birmingham Phoenix, said, “We’re really excited about having retained 10 players ahead of the third year of the competition. We’ve seen across short-form competitions around the world that keeping a core squad together can make a real difference, and hopefully it’ll help us win The Hundred this year. We’ve got a lot of talented players and it’s a great group, so we can’t wait to get out in front of the Edgbaston crowd again.”

England batter Sophia Dunkley, who will be available for teams to sign in The Hundred Draft, said, “It’s very exciting to be in the draft. It’s a different emotion not knowing where you’ll be playing your cricket, but you look across the eight teams and there’s so much quality across the competition. I’m looking forward to seeing where will become home next season, and I can’t wait to play in the third year of The Hundred – it’s already done great things for women’s cricket and I can’t wait to be a part of it again.”

The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable cricket competition that fuses world-class cricket with blockbuster entertainment.

Combining a short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.