The Hundred | Tournament to create history by introducing first ever women players’ draft by a major UK sport

After introducing a new format of the sport, The Women’s Hundred is set to create history as they will hold the first-ever women’s player draft by a major UK sport. The teams were allowed to recruit players from around the world within their salary cap allowance until the end of June earlier. However, the draft process will resolve the existing salary cap and 32 players will be picked. 

Welsh Fire, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season will get the first pick in the draft while the reigning champion Oval Invincibles will get to pick last. Each team will be allowed to retain four players from their existing squad before the draft during the retention window which will be open from December to January. The draft will be held in March where teams will sign a minimum of four players and will be permitted to use the ‘right to match’ card. 

The remaining seven players in the team will be signed in the opener market. Notably, a side can have a maximum of three England-contracted players and three overseas players. The head of Women’s Hundred, Beth Barett-Wild stated that the step will have a positive development in the women’s game.

"Introducing the draft represents another landmark moment for women's sport in this country, as The Hundred continues to break new ground and accelerate professionalism within women's cricket,” Barett-Wild stated.

"The impact of the Hundred on the women's game after just two editions of the competition has been enormous, generating unprecedented levels of visibility, making household names of our brilliant female players, and driving performance standards.”