Mitch Marsh will lead a host of Australian cricket internationals who'll descend on this year's sixth edition of English cricket's marquee white-ball tournament, The Hundred.
National T20 captain Marsh is one of six Aussies who've been named for the 100-ball-a-side men's event in July and August, while there'll be 10 in the women's tournament, headed by returning Hundred champions Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield.
The eight teams, boosted by major investment particularly from India, confirmed their direct signings and retentions on Friday, with the first 60 named including the 16 Aussies - more than any other nation, apart from the hosts.
But there's sure to be more in the pipeline with the teams having the chance to add to their squads in March when the league will host the UK's first major sport auction.
Marsh will play for the Headingley-based Sunrisers Leeds team, rebranded from the Northern Superchargers after their new Indian owners, The Sun Group, paid over £100 million ($A198 million) to take over the franchise.
The Superchargers won the women's event last year and have retained the dynamic Australian duo of Annabel Sutherland and tournament MVP Phoebe Litchfield, who helped power them to victory.
Georgia Wareham had also played a part in their triumph before injury struck, but the spinning allrounder has now been snapped up by Cardiff-based Welsh Fire, along with hard-hitting young Aussie opener Georgia Voll.
Another returning Aussie champion will be Adam Zampa, but after helping the Oval Invincibles - now rebranded too as MI London - win the last three titles, he's moving 'north of the river' Thames to join the Lord's-based London Spirit, who've also retained their popular Aussie big hitter Grace Harris for the women's team.
All-time great Ellyse Perry, who along with Sutherland had elected to miss the current Women's Premier League season in India for personal reasons, will rejoin Birmingham Phoenix, along with exciting teen prospect Lucy Hamilton.
The tireless Meg Lanning, currently captaining the UP Warriorz in the WPL, is joining her third different team in The Hundred, signing up for another newly rebranded team, the Manchester Super Giants, the former Originals who've taken on major Indian investment.
AUSTRALIANS SO FAR SIGNED UP FOR THE HUNDRED 2026
Birmingham Phoenix: (Men - Mitch Owen) (Women - Ellyse Perry, Lucy Hamilton)
London Spirit: (Men - Adam Zampa) (Women - Grace Harris)
Manchester Super Giants: (Women - Meg Lanning)
Southern Brave: (Men - Marcus Stoinis)
Sunrisers Leeds: (Men - Mitch Marsh, Nathan Ellis) (Women - Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield)
Trent Rockets: (Men - Tim David) (Women - Ash Gardner, Kim Garth)
Welsh Fire: (Women - Georgia Wareham, Georgia Voll)
