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The Hundred 2023: Everything you need to know about the squads

Harmanpreet Kaur returns, Sophie Ecclestone as captain. Debut for Richa Ghosh and Grace Harris. And a delayed entry for young Phoebe Litchfield

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Shivangi Sinha
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The Hundred

Two time champions Oval Invincibles © Getty Images

Third edition of The Hundred will get going from 1st August with a repeat of last year’s eliminator. Two time runners-up Southern Brave will be up against Trent Rockets at Trent Bridge. All the eight teams will play eight matches during the season like the inaugural edition after a truncated second year owing to Commonwealth Games 2022.
For the first time, the teams went through the draft system to pick players in the Women’s Competition. All the teams were allowed to retain four players with a maximum of three marquee players which included a blend of overseas players and England centrally contracted players. Teams were also given one right to match card (RTM) for the draft which they could use for a player whom they could not retain but wanted to re-sign. It was not compulsory for a team to retain all the four players since they had the chance to fill the remaining players via the draft system and the open market.
Women’s CricZone takes a look at how the squads have shaped up.
Oval Invincibles
The Hundred 2022: Champions
Two time champions Oval Invincibles will look for a hat-trick of titles and they have a good balanced squad for that but they do lack in the fast bowling department since  Natasha Farrant is out due to a stress fracture of her lumbar spine and in addition they have lost Shabnim Ismail to Welsh Fire in the draft. The responsibility will be on Marizanne Kapp’s shoulder and Invincibles will hope the young right arm medium pacer Eva Gray to have a good outing.
They have the required firepower in their batting order with Alice Capsey and Marizanne Kapp, they do have openers who can give them consistent starts in Suzie Bates and Lauren Winfield-Hill, who were crucial in their batting order last year with both scoring over 200 runs. Players such as allrounder Paige Scholfield, left arm orthodox Sophia Smale and pacer Ryana Macdonald-Gay had a good domestic season and are expected to carry on with their form.

Retained players – Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill
Drafted players – Suzie Bates, Dane van Niekerk, Paige Scholfield, Mady Villiers (RTM).
England centrally contracted player – Alice Capsey
Overseas stars – Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Dane van Niekerk (South Africa)
Coach – Jonathan Batty
Uncapped player to watch for – Cordelia Griffith
27-year-old Cordelia Griffith’s talent was on display throughout the English domestic season. The uncapped player who represented Sunrisers had more than a decent outing in the recent Charlotte Edwards (CE) Cup where she managed to score 205 runs from six matches while in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint (RHF) trophy she amassed 195 runs from six innings. In the past two editions she was a part of Manchester Originals.
Squad: Alice Capsey, Cordelia Griffith, Suzie Bates, Dane van Niekerk (c), Marizanne Kapp, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill (wk), Paige Scholfield, Eva Gray, Beth Langston, Ryana Macdonald-Gay, Sophia Smale, Kira Chathli, Lizzie Scott, Claudie Cooper
Prediction: Fifth
Southern Brave
The Hundred 2022: Runners-up
Despite losing Sophia Dunkley and Amanda Jade Wellington in the draft but still managed to stitch a good squad. With the world number three batter Smriti Mandhana and the English firepower Danielle Wyatt as openers, they are expected to get a blazing start. The middle order consists of Maia Bouchier, Georgia Adams, Chloe Tryon and Freya Kemp, and this makes their batting a perfect mix of anchors and power hitters.
Captain Anya Shrubsole will be playing her last season and she along with Lauren Bell have given them important breakthroughs right from the word go since the 2021 edition and the management will be hoping to see the same. Maitlan Brown’s addition to the squad will give them another pace bowling allrounder option although her batting has been underutilized at Sydney Sixers in WBBL.The two time runners-up will be looking to go further this time. 
Retained players – Smriti Mandhana, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp
Drafted players – Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Wyatt (RTM), Chloe Tryon, Maitlan Brown
England centrally contracted players – Danielle Wyatt, Lauren Bell, Freya Kemp
Overseas stars – Smriti Mandhana (India), Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Maitlan Brown (Australia)
Coach – Charlotte Edwards

Smriti Mandhana Southern Brave
Smriti Mandhana has been consistent in The Hundred © Getty Images

Uncapped player to watch for – Georgia Adams
Georgia Adams, the off spin bowling allrounder, has been in tremendous form in domestic cricket while playing for Southern Vipers. She accumulated runs for fun and with 249 runs from nine innings in CE Cup and 265 runs from seven innings in the RHF trophy, she was the only player to be in the top five run getters list of both the tournaments. She also provides timely breakthroughs with her off spin, she picked 22 scalps across formats. Even in the last edition, she had a satisfactory outing and it will be captivating to see how she fares in this season.
Squad: Anya Shrubsole (c), Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Adams, Smriti Mandhana, Chloe Tryon, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Maitlan Brown, Freya Kemp, Ellie Anderson, Danielle Gregory, Mary Taylor, Kalea Moore, Seren Smale, Rhianna Southby (wk)
Prediction: Champions
Trent Rockets
The Hundred 2022: Lost the Eliminator
The second highest run getter in the CE Cup, Bryony Smith amassed 256 runs at a smashing strike rate of 155 during the season. She is expected to open alongside the South African power hitter Lizelle Lee. Their middle order consists of skipper Natalie Sciver-Brunt, the number 1 allrounder in the world, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who returns for a second season after her stint with Manchester Originals ihe inaugural edition, and Fran Wilson, who scored 186 runs from seven innings in the CE cup. 
Katherine Sciver-Brunt with her aggressive ways will keep the bowling line up alive and she can provide late flourish with the bat too although she has retired from international cricket. Aussie star Alana King, who took the first hat-trick of the tournament, will look to spin a web around the opponents along with Kirstie Gordon. They have experience and the young firepower in every department and will look to go two steps further this time.


Retained players – Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Alana King, Bryony Smith
Drafted players – Harmanpreet Kaur, Lizelle Lee, Kirstie Gordon, Grace Potts
England centrally contracted player – Natalie Sciver-Brunt
Overseas stars – Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Alana King (Australia)
Coach – Jon Lewis
Uncapped player to watch for – Naomi Dattani
Being a left handed batter and left arm pacer, Naomi Dattani adds the much required variation in both the departments. She played for London Spirit in the previous season. Spirit won just two matches and she was the player of the match in one of them.
Chasing a moderate total of 83, Spirit found themselves 26 for 6 and that’s when Dattani joined hands with Grace Scrivens for a match saving partnership. In the recent RHF trophy match against Northern Diamonds, she took a four-wicket haul which included the wicket of Winfield-Hill and later on while chasing she found her team reeling at 58 for 3 and she along with Deandra Dottin stitched a 98-run partnership. Her ability to perform in pressure situations might prove to be an asset for Rockets.
Squad: Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Lizelle Lee (wk), Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Bryony Smith, Grace Potts, Kirstie Gordon, Alana King, Alexa Stonehouse, Naomi Dattani, Josie Groves, Cassidy McCarthy, Fran Wilson, Natasha Wraith (wk)
Prediction: Runners-up
Birmingham Phoenix
The Hundred 2022: Fourth
Birmingham Phoenix suffered a body blow when their skipper for the season Ellyse Perry was ruled out at the last moment with a knee injury she sustained during the Ireland  tour. Evelyn Jones has been named as the captain in her absence and uncapped Australian allrounder Tess Flintoff will replace Perry in the squad.*
Sophie Devine is an X-factor regardless of the team she plays for. Her recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) outing was just another proof of that. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), she scored 99 runs off 36 balls. She could have easily gone for her century but instead decided to keep her team’s net run rate first making her a perfect team player. Evelyn is currently the third highest run getter in RHF trophy 2023 with her 307 runs from eight innings. They also have the regular England keeper Amy Jones and the Aussie allrounder Erin Burns to solidify their middle order. To provide late blitz with bat there is Issy Wong.
Wong is also a wicket taking bowler, she became the first bowler to take a WPL hat-trick and she took 15 wickets for the champions Mumbai Indians. Phoenix also have a few more exhilarating bowling talents in the U19 World Cup star Hannah Baker and the 25-year-old pacer Emily Arlott.


Retained players – Amy Jones, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott
Drafted players – Sophie Devine (RTM), Hannah Baker, Evelyn Jones, Katie Levick
England centrally contracted players – Amy Jones, Issy Wong
Overseas stars – Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Erin Burns (Australia), Tess Flintoff (Australia)
Coach – Ben Sawyer
Uncapped player to watch for – Katie Levick
In the short format, any team would love to have a wicket taking bowler and given her current form, Katie Levick will be an asset for Phoenix. This leg spin bowler from Yorkshire was in the top five wicket takers list in both the CE Cup and the RHF Trophy, where she took 12 wickets from seven innings and 18 wickets from nine innings respectively. Against Sunrisers, she picked astonishing figures of 5 for 19 in a T20 match. These numbers will excite the Phoenix fans for sure.
Squad: Evelyn Jones (c), Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Chloe Brewer, Erin Burns, Sophie Devine, Amy Jones (wk), Tess Flintoff, Abbey Freeborn, Sterre Kalis, Katie Levick, Abtaha Maqsood, Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin, Issy Wong
Prediction: Fourth
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London Spirit
The Hundred 2022: Fifth
They have a great leader in Heather Knight as she is back from the hip injury that kept her out from the last season. She will hope to carry on with her Ashes form. White Ferns allrounder Amelia Kerr will be another vital cog in both aspects of the game. Kerr along with their 2022 captain Charlie Dean will look to lead the spin department.
In the draft, they picked another leggie in Sarah Glenn and the big hitting Grace Harris. The kind of power Grace has, makes her arguably one of the best finishers in the tournament. Talking of power hitting, they have also included the Indian smasher Richa Ghosh who came in as a replacement for the injured Georgia Redmayne although the signing of the latter was never officially announced.Their pace bowling has a decent mix with the likes of Tara Norris, Sophie Munro, Danielle Gibson and Lauren Filer. Gibson recently made her England debut against the world champions Australia in the Ashes and had some impressive outings.
Retained players – Heather Knight, Amelia Kerr, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson
Drafted players – Grace Harris, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Munro, Sophie Luff
England centrally contracted players – Heather Knight, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn
Overseas stars – Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Grace Harris (Australia), Richa Ghosh (India)
Coach – Ashley Noffke
Uncapped player to watch for – Grace Scrivens
The player of the tournament from the inaugural U19 World Cup, Grace Scrivens led England from the front and took her side to the final. She piled on 293 runs and picked up nine scalps from seven matches. Recently she made it to the England A side, in the three-day match against Australia where she scored 58 runs. Her 87 runs in a losing cause against the Australia A side showed more glimpses of the talent the southpaw processes. 2023 has been a breakthrough year for her and it will be interesting to watch how well she lives up to the buzz that surrounds her.
Squad: Heather Knight (c), Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Lauren Filer, Sophie Luff, Sophie Munro, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson, Tara Norris, Chloe Hill, Niamh Holland, Alice Monaghan, Grace Scrivens
Prediction: Eliminator (Third place)

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Amelia Kerr in action for London Spirit © Getty Images

Manchester Originals
The Hundred 2022: Sixth
They have announced Sophie Ecclestone as their new captain after losing Kate Cross to Northern Superchargers in the draft. The world number one bowler needs no introduction and in addition to her left arm spin bowling, she is more than handy with the bat. They have added Amanda-Jade Wellington, who picked up a total of 31 wickets in the previous two editions, to their squad. She along with Ecclestone are a dream duo to have.
They did lose opener Lee in the draft but they found another consistent South African in Laura Wolvaardt. They have also managed to keep a good bunch of allrounders in the form of Dottin, Emma Lamb, Katie George and the experienced Fi Morris.
Retained players – Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, Emma Lamb, Ellie Threlkeld
Drafted players – Laura Wolvaardt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Kathryn Bryce, Katie George
England centrally contracted players – Sophie Ecclestone, Emma Lamb
Overseas stars – Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia), Deandra Dottin (West Indies)
Coach – Stephen Parry
Uncapped player to watch for – Fi Morris
Fi Morris, who is more than handy with her off spin, previously played for Southern Brave and Welsh Fire. While playing for Thunder, she had a promising run at the CE Cup with over 200 runs and seven wickets. It makes Morris a certain player to watch for. Her best all-round performance came against Northern Diamonds where she picked two scalps which included the wicket of Tryon and later she scored 42 not out in the second innings and guided her team over the finishing line.
Squad: Sophie Ecclestone (c), Amara Carr (wk), Deandra Dottin, Laura Wolvaardt, Ellie Threlkeld, Emma Lamb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Fi Morris, Kathryn Bryce, Katie George, Mahika Gaur, Phoebe Graham, Laura Jackson, Liberty Heap, Ami Campbell
Prediction: Eighth

Northern Superchargers
The Hundred: Seventh
They did retain Alyssa Healy but she had to pull out after fracturing her left index finger during the Ashes and the Ireland  tour. Healy was replaced by her compatriot Phoebe Litchfield who recently scored her maiden international century against Ireland. Their injury concerns did not end here, Heather Graham also withdrew from the competition and that prompted the return of Jemimah Rodrigues. Rodrigues represented Supercharger in both the previous seasons, her unbeaten 92 off 43 is still the second-highest individual score in the competition.
Their mix of domestic talents is one of the best in the tournament with batters such as skipper Hollie Armitage and Bess Heath, left-arm spinner Linsey Smith and the pace bowling allrounder Alice Davidson Richards. All of them represented England A in their recent series against Australia A.
In the CE cup, Georgie Boyce, the top order batter from Nottingham, scored 200 runs from eight innings while right arm pacer Grace Hall had 10 wickets from seven innings. In the draft, they brought in the England pacer Kate Cross and the Aussie leggie Georgia Wareham. Wareham has been in terrific form with both the bat and the ball in recent times for Australia.
Retained players – Linsey Smith, Hollie Armitage, Beth Heath
Drafted players – Kate Cross, Georgia Wareham, Alice Davidson Richards
England centrally contracted player – Kate Cross
Overseas stars – Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Georgia Wareham (Australia), Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)
Coach – Danielle Hazell
Uncapped player to watch for – Hollie Armitage
The Northern Diamonds star Hollie Armitage has been in some form since the recent CE cup. She scored 216 runs from her seven matches. She was rewarded for a stellar domestic season with her inclusion in the England A squad and she lived up to those expectations. In the second one day against Australia A, she played a fighting knock of 77 from just 55 deliveries when the whole team succumbed for just 148. She continued her dream run and scored 211 from nine matches in the RHF Trophy as well. Her occasional leg spin bowling adds flexibility to the line-up.
Squad: Hollie Armitage (c), Kate Cross, Jemimah Rodrigues, Phoebe Litchfield, Alice Davidson-Richards, Linsey Smith, Bess Heath (wk), Georgie Boyce, Grace Hall, Grace Ballinger, Marie Kelly, Lucy Higham, Leah Dobson, Aylish Cranstone
Prediction: Seventh

Welsh Fire
The Hundred 2022: Eighth
Welsh Fire would want to forget their campaign so far in the competition since they were the wooden spooners during both the seasons and that prompted some serious changes to the side. Tammy Beaumont, their skipper, is arguably one of the most improved batters going around ever since her omission from the England T20 side.. Her 192 runs in the CE cup came at a strike rate of 142. She along with the WPL player of the tournament Hayley Matthews will play an important role in giving them excellent starts.
To solve their batting issues, they grabbed England opener Sophia Dunkley in the draft. It’s a dream to have a player of Laura Harris’ caliber and her all striking ability, for she is a match winner in any line-up. To strengthen their batting line up further they have picked allrounder Georgia Elwiss.
Shabnim Ismail, who recently announced her retirement from international cricket, will lead the bowling attack.  Fire will be banging on Ismail and Freya Davies to give them early breakthroughs and also bowl at the death. Emily Windsor, Southern Vipers batter, had a decent outing in the CE cup. Fire would be hoping for turn the tables this time with a balanced squad.


Retained players – Tammy Beaumont, Hayley Matthews
Drafted players – Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Laura Harris, Alex Hartley
England centrally contracted players – Sophia Dunkley, Tammy Beaumont, Freya Davies
Overseas stars – Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Laura Harris (Australia)
Coach – Gareth Breese
Uncapped player to watch for – Alex Griffiths
With 183 runs and nine wickets in the RHF Trophy, Alex Griffiths made a mark for herself while playing for Western Storm. Her best performance came against The Blaze where she took two wickets and scored 67 runs, even though her team lost, her gutsy all-round performance was in full display. Welsh Fire will be hoping for a good run from their pace-bowling allrounder.
Squad: Tammy Beaumont (c/wk), Hayley Matthews, Laura Harris, Georgia Elwiss, Shabnim Ismail, Sophia Dunkley, Claire Nicholas, Emily Windsor, Alex Hartley, Ella McCaughan, Alex Griffiths, Sarah Bryce (wk), Kate Coppack, Freya Davies
Prediction: Sixth

*This article has been updated to reflect announcements made by Birmingham Phoenix in their squad

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