NEW DELHI: Star Indian batters Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh have emerged as the only two Indian players selected in the Hundred 2024 draft for the upcoming season, with Mandhana joining the Southern Brave and Ghosh being roped in by the Birmingham Phoenix for the Women’s Hundred 2024.
The draft saw English cricketer Amy Jones securing the top pick as she joined the Birmingham Phoenix, following her failure to agree to a retention last month. Meanwhile, star Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu was picked by the Invincibles.
The decision by the England Cricket Board (ECB) to increase top salaries in the women’s Hundred attracted numerous foreign cricketers to the tournament.
Notable signings included Beth Mooney by Manchester Originals, Meg Lanning by London Spirit, and Ash Gardner by the Trent Rockets, all securing contracts worth 50,000 euros.

In the men’s draft, the absence of star English batter Jason Roy was a notable development. Roy, released by the Oval Invincibles after a lackluster performance in the previous season, went unselected, along with English pacer Mark Wood, who withdrew due to injury concerns for the first three seasons of the Hundred.
However, West Indies star batters dominated the men’s draft, with Nicholas Pooran joining Northern Superchargers, Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer signing up with London Spirit, and Kieron Pollard donning the Southern Brave’s jersey. The Trent Rockets picked Rovman Powell for the upcoming season.
Star Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is set to play for the Welsh Fire, following his reacquisition last summer, while his teammate Naseem Shah was the top pick for the Birmingham Phoenix.
Following the conclusion of the draft, each team will have the opportunity to add two more players to both their men’s and women’s squads ahead of the season starting in July, offering ‘wildcard’ contracts based on performances in domestic T20 cricket, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
(With inputs from ANI)