The inaugural auction for the Women's Hundred took place yesterday (March 11), with records tumbling and millions spent on the new-look competition.
The salary caps for each team doubled for the 2026 competition, after the ECB sold its stakes in the franchises to private investors. That increase saw players signed for hugely increased salaries, with England all-rounder Dani Gibson the most expensive domestic player (£190,000) and Beth Money and Sophie Devine jointly the highest paid players (£210,000). Those sums are more than three times what the most expensive players were paid last year, with the top salary brackets at £65,000.
This was the first year of the competition's new era, and represents the biggest re-shuffle of the player pack to date. Contracts for each team are three years, with teams having a yet to be announced number of retentions available to them at the end of 2026 and the end of 2027. Thus, this auction shaped each squad for years to come – here's how all eight teams stack up, in descending order.
8. London Spirit
Spirit spent heavily on Nadine de Klerk, securing them one of the most sought-after all-rounders in the world, and also bought Grace Harris for £70,000. While they also bought Deandra Dottin and pre-signed Marizanne Kapp, their top-order could potentially be a bit of a fudge. Mahika Gaur is the stand-out in their bowling attack, along with Charlie Dean, and they invested heavily in left-arm spinner Charis Pavely, who excelled in 2024, but didn't feature in last year's competition.
7. Welsh Fire
Sophie Devine and Em Arlott were Welsh Fire's two big signings of the day. Their batting lineup will also feature Australia opener Georgia Voll and young English prospect Ella McCaughan. While they also secured Scotland international Sarah Bryce and highly-rated left-arm spinner Sophia Smale, their squad potentially lacks the depth of calibre others have in abundance.
6. Manchester Super Giants
Manchester Originals made some good deals in the pre-signing phase, getting Smriti Mandhana for £90,000 and Meg Lanning for £95,000. They continued that into the auction, securing India wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh for £50,000 as well as Durham off-spinner Maddie Villiers. They also spent big on Paige Scholfield, and spent £75,000 on Ryana MacDonald-Gay. While their batting lineup looks like one of the strongest in the competition, beyond Sophie Ecclestone and MacDonald-Gay, they may struggle for fire-power.
5. Trent Rockets
Trent Rockets pre-signed two of the best allrounders in the world in Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner, and secured two marquee batters in Beth Mooney and Sophia Dunkley. Kim Garth will lead their bowling attack, while Georgia Adams brings the experience of a Hundred-winning captain. Beyond the big names their bowling attack could also look slightly light.
4. Sunrisers Leeds
Having spent big on Dani Gibson, Sunrisers Leeds also dropped plenty of cash on Australia allrounder Jess Jonassen, and secured one of the deals of the day in getting World Cup winner Deepti Sharma for just £27,500. While they pre-signed Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield and Kate Cross, they also picked up experienced heads in Lauren Winfield-Hill and Kate Cross.
3. MI London
The Oval-based side have a plethora of eye-catching names in their side. There's the mouth-watering prospect of Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Hayley Matthews and Melie Kerr all in the same top order, with Chinelle Henry, Alice Davidson-Richards, and Nicola Carey packing out their all-rounder options. One of the biggest headlines of the day was their signing of uncapped Surrey wicketkeeper Kira Chathli for £80,000. She finished sixth in the run-scoring charts in last year's competition. Highly rated left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse will be a key bowler to watch, paired with fellow left-armer Tara Norris.
Read more: Pay gap in The Hundred is widening - the draft-to-auction switch is an indicator, not the cause
2. Southern Brave
Southern Brave made headlines when they signed teenager Tilly Corteen-Coleman for £105,000, pairing her with fellow left-arm spinner Australia captain Sophie Molineux. They also picked up England leggie Sarah Glenn, giving them one of the most comprehensive spin attack's in the competition. Their pace attack is equally stacked, with Issy Wong featuring alongside Lauren Bell. Pre-signing World Cup-winner Jemimah Rodrigues for just £60,000 looks like one of the steals of the tournament, while Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee and Maia Bouchier pack out their batting lineup.
1. Birmingham Phoenix
The Phoenix have secured arguably the most exciting pace attack in the competition. Having pre-signed England quick Lauren Filer, they added talented Australia youngster Lucy Hamilton to their ranks. They also picked up two emphatic bargains, securing Davina Perrin for just £50,000, and Alana King for £37,500. Perrin joins what looks to be an explosive batting lineup, featuring Tammy Beaumont, Alice Capsey and Elyse Perry, the latter of who were pre-signings. They also secured two good deals in Cordelia Griffith and Emma Lamb, both for £27,500, while splashing out on Linsey Smith, who excelled both on the domestic circuit and for England last year.
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