The Hundred held its inaugural player auction on Wednesday, a fairly brisk two-hour affair that left coaches clutching spreadsheets and a few players pinching themselves. Below is a look at where the money went, followed by some quick reflections on each line-up.
Birmingham Phoenix
Alice Capsey £130,000; Ellyse Perry £100,000; Linsey Smith £100,000; Lauren Filer £95,000; Tammy Beaumont £70,000; Davina Perrin £50,000; Alana King £37,500; Jemima Spence £37,500; Lucy Hamilton £35,000; Eva Gray £30,000; Cordelia Griffith £27,500; Emma Lamb £27,500; Phoebe Brett £27,500; Esmae MacGregor £16,000
London Spirit
Nadine de Klerk £170,000; Marizanne Kapp £130,000; Charlie Dean £85,000; Charis Pavely £85,000; Mahika Gaur £75,000; Grace Harris £70,000; Amy Jones £70,000; Deandra Dottin £37,500; Sterre Kalis £27,500; Marie Kelly £20,000; Phoebe Turner £20,000; Seren Smale £15,000; Lucy Higham £15,000; Josephine Groves £15,000
Manchester Super Giants
Paige Scholfield £115,000; Sophie Ecclestone £110,000; Meg Lanning £95,000; Smriti Mandhana £90,000; Ryana MacDonald-Gay £75,000; Kathryn Bryce £65,000; Richa Ghosh £50,000; Mady Villiers £45,000; Grace Ballinger £42,500; Maitlan Brown £40,000; Grace Scrivens £40,000; Jo Gardner £17,000; Natasha Wraith £15,000; Rebecca Tyson £15,000
MI London
Hayley Matthews £120,000; Danni Wyatt-Hodge £110,000; Nicola Carey £95,000; Amelia Kerr £80,000; Kira Chathli £80,000; Chinelle Henry £70,000; Kirstie Gordon £55,000; Hollie Armitage £45,000; Alexa Stonehouse £42,500; Tara Norris £35,000; Alice Davidson-Richards £30,000; Alice Monaghan £27,500; Ellie Threlkeld £15,000
Southern Brave
Lauren Bell £140,000; Issy Wong £130,000; Tilly Corteen-Coleman £105,000; Maia Bouchier £85,000; Laura Wolvaardt £75,000; Sarah Glenn £75,000; Jemimah Rodrigues £60,000; Sophie Molineux £47,500; Jodi Grewcock £30,000; Lizelle Lee £27,500; Rebecca Odgers £15,000; Phoebe Franklin £15,000; Daisy Gibb £15,000
Sunrisers Leeds
Danielle Gibson £190,000; Annabel Sutherland £130,000; Phoebe Litchfield £120,000; Jess Jonassen £110,000; Cassidy McCarthy £65,000; Kate Cross £50,000; Deepti Sharma £27,500; Bryony Smith £27,500; Lauren Winfield-Hill £27,500; Hannah Baker £18,000
Trent Rockets
Beth Mooney £210,000; Nat Sciver-Brunt £140,000; Ashleigh Gardner £100,000; Sophia Dunkley £78,000; Kim Garth £42,000; Emma Jones £35,000; Bess Heath £32,500; Katie Levick £32,500; Ailsa Lister £30,000; Millicent Taylor £27,500; Georgia Elwiss £27,500
Welsh Fire
Sophie Devine £210,000; Freya Kemp £120,000; Em Arlott £110,000; Georgia Wareham £100,000; Georgia Voll £80,000; Ella McCaughan £30,000; Heather Graham £27,500; Sarah Bryce £25,000; Abi Norgrove £21,000; Fi Morris £20,000; Sophia Smale £20,000; Grace Thompson £20,000; Grace Potts £15,000
First impressions – the calm version
Coaches insisted beforehand that they would “stick to plans”, yet almost every table had a last-minute scramble once the auction room warmed up. One coach, notebook still open, admitted, “You can map scenarios all night – then an unexpected bid forces a rewrite on the spot.”
Top-end spend
The headlines belong to Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine, each going for £210,000, the maximum bracket. Both are proven match-winners, though plenty wondered whether that much cash tied Rockets and Fire’s hands further down the list. A rival analyst said, “If you splash early you need bargains later, simple as that.” Rockets believe they managed precisely that by nabbing Katie Levick and Bess Heath at cut-price rates.
The English premium
Home talent carried weight. Lauren Bell (£140k) and Issy Wong (£130k) went high, reflecting the scarcity of local fast bowling. Danielle Gibson, at £190k, was the auction’s sharp intake of breath: Sunrisers Leeds wanted an all-rounder who bowls hard lengths and hits straight, and were ready to pay for it.
Balancing imports
Most sides opted for two marquee overseas names and one mid-tier. London Spirit’s combination of Nadine de Klerk and Marizanne Kapp gives them seam variety and two cool heads under pressure. MI London, meanwhile, chose the all-round versatility of Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr. A scout neatly put it: “Get utility players in a short tournament – they cover bad days.”
Youth bets
Phoenix raised eyebrows by spending £50k on 19-year-old Davina Perrin, the first player sold. Coach Ben Sawyer simply said, “We rate her ceiling.” A similar theme ran through Spirit’s £85k on 18-year-old Charis Pavely and Rockets grabbing Millicent Taylor late on. All three may not start every match but give depth and, crucially, English passport points.
Squad depth, or lack of it
Super Giants look stacked at the top – Ecclestone, Lanning, Mandhana – yet their lower-order hitting remains light. Southern Brave appear more rounded, though their courage to back two young quicks will be tested if the pitch stays slow at Southampton.
Early verdict
There is no runaway favourite. Rockets and Brave seem well balanced, Spirit arguably have the best seam attack, while Phoenix feel under-bowled in spin if a Capsey or King has an off-day. As one assistant coach told us on the way out, “The real judgement comes when someone needs eight off three and your £15k pick is on strike. Auctions don’t win points – players do.”
Plenty to chew over, then, before balls start flying in July. For now, spreadsheets are tucked away and the talking shifts to nets, fitness blocks and, inevitably, who got the biggest bargain.
