During The Hundred 2024 Draft held on Thursday, March 21, prominent players like Babar Azam, the top run-scorer of the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), and seasoned batsman David Warner didn’t receive any bids. Mohammad Rizwan, another Pakistani cricketer, also went unsold, along with T20 specialist Tim David, Sunil Narine, and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, marking surprises in the international player selections.
Arguably, the West Indies players emerged as the standout winners of the draft, showcasing their prominence with the inaugural pick of the event. The Northern Superchargers swiftly selected Nicholas Pooran, while other West Indies stars like Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Kieron Pollard were all signed by franchises in the first round, collectively earning £125,000.
In contrast to their West Indian counterparts, local players like Jason Roy and Mark Wood didn’t fare as well, as they were not selected by any teams. Roy had a challenging season with the Oval Invincibles in the 2023 Hundred season and has been out of contention for the national team. On the other hand, Wood has faced injury issues and withdrew from the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season recently.
Additional English talents such as Ollie Pope and Dawid Malan secured deals with new franchises, with Pope joining London Spirit and Malan moving to the Oval Invincibles, marking a change of teams.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues did not attract any bids in The Hundred 2024 women’s draft
Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, who performed well in the middle order for their teams in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), did not receive any bids in The Hundred 2024 women’s draft.
However, Smriti Mandhana, the captain of the WPL-winning team, will be back with the Southern Brave, the franchise she led to victory in the 2023 edition. England’s Amy Jones was the top selection in the women’s draft, chosen by the Birmingham Phoenix for £50,000.
Other notable picks in the draft included Australian players Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, and Jess Jonassen, all of whom were selected in the first round.
The 2024 edition of The Hundred will kick off on July 23 with a doubleheader featuring the Oval Invincibles and the Birmingham Phoenix. The finals for both the men’s and women’s tournaments are scheduled for August 18 at Lord’s.
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