Some of the planet’s finest cricketers will find out where they’ll be plying their trade next summer when the inaugural draft for the ECB’s new competition, The Hundred, takes place.
The Hundred will introduce a new format of the game, which is built around 100-ball-per-side innings, making it slightly shorter than a T20 match.
Eight franchises have been confirmed to field both men’s and women’s teams in the competition, spread across seven UK cities.
The draft, however, is only relevant to the men’s teams, with the women’s sides free to sign players to fill their roster in a more conventional manner.
What is a draft?
Drafts are a staple in American sports, but are something of a novelty on this side of the Atlantic.
In the US, drafts are used to allocate the best college talent to professional teams, with franchises taking it in turns to choose players across multiple rounds, usually with a system in place to allow the weakest teams from the previous season first preference.
Who is in the draft?
The Hundred Draft, however, features more established talent. Some legends of the limited overs game, including Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga and Kieran Pollard have made themselves available, along with some of the stars of this summer’s World Cup, like Shakib Al Hasan and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan are among the international talents who have already endeared themselves to county cricket fans during previous ventures into the English domestic game, while, of course, Steve Smith will lead a sizeable Australian contingent, including Mitchell Starc and David Warner.
However, teams are allowed a maximum of three overseas players, so a whole host of domestic stars are also in the mix.
And who is not?
England’s centrally contracted red-ball cricketers have already been assigned to rosters, with the exceptions of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who will take non-playing mentor roles.
Each franchise was also allowed to select two ‘local icons’ from the counties that they are affiliated with.
- Trent Rockets – Joe Root, Alex Hales, Harry Gurney.
- Southern Brave – Jofra Archer, James Vince, Chris Jordan.
- Northern Superchargers – Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey
- Welsh Fire – Jonny Bairstow, Colin Ingram, Tom Banton
- Oval Invincibles – Sam Curran, Jason Roy, Tom Curran
- Manchester Originals – Jos Buttler, Matt Parkinson, Saqib Mahmood
- London Spirit – Rory Burns, Eoin Morgan, Dan Lawrence
- Birmingham Phoenix – Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Brown
How will the draft order work?
With 15-man rosters to fill, each team will need to draft 12 players. The order in which they will do so has already been decided by a draw. The first round will be as below, with the order then reversing in each subsequent round in a snake system.
- Trent Rockets
- Southern Brave
- Northern Superchargers
- Welsh Fire
- Oval Invincibles
- Manchester Originals
- London Spirit
- Birmingham Phoenix
Here are the picks so far...
| Men's | Women's | |
| London Spirit | Eoin Morgan, Dan Lawrence, Rory Burns | Heather Knight, Freya Davies |
| Oval Invincibles | Jason Roy, Sam Curran, Tom Curran | Laura Marsh and Fran Wilson |
| Southern Brave | Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, James Vince | Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole |
| Welsh Fire | Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Colin Ingram | Bryony Smith, Katie George |
| Northern Superchargers | Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey | Linsey Smith, Lauren Winfield |
| Manchester Originals | Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson | Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone |
| Trent Rockets | Joe Root, Alex Hales, Harry Gurney | Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt |
| Birmingham Phoenix | Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Brown | Amy Jones, Kirstie Gordon |
What about the money?
The draft is broken up into 14 rounds. These in turn are broken up into seven salary brackets, with each team allowed two players in each:
- Round 1-2: £125,000
- Round 3-4: £100,000
- Round 5-6: £75,000
- Round 7-8: £60,000
- Round 9-10: £50,000
- Round 11-12: £40,000
- Round 13-14: £30,000
However, the ‘local icon’ players have already been allocated salaries, meaning they take the place of one of the picks in the corresponding round. For example, the Oval Invincibles have signed Jason Roy on a salary of £125,000, so will bypass their pick in round two.
Some players have a reserve price, meaning that if they are not selected by the time the draft passes below their bracket, they will go unselected.
When is the draft and how can I watch it?
The draft takes place on Sunday, October 20, at 7pm BST and is expected to last until around 10pm BST.
It will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports' Main Event and Cricket channels, and Sky One. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the draft online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
There will also be live streams available on the BBC Sport website and The Hundred's official website.
You can also follow all the picks with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
