With cash comes conundrums for The Hundred.
Millions of pounds were spent on players at the inaugural auction with England all-rounder Danielle Gibson and uncapped spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman earning £190,000 and £105,000 respectively from Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave.
Contrast that to established internationals Deepti Sharma (India) and Alana King (Australia) sold for £27,500 and £37,000 respectively – Gibson and Deepti will be team-mates at Sunrisers – and some domestic cricketers going for £15k and there is a new pay disparity in the women’s game.
Speaking in a Wisden Cricket interview, Lauren Winfield-Hill – bought by Sunrisers for £27,000 – spoke about the “uneasy” feelings the auction raised for her.
Across the board, though, the competition faces challenges, with investment from overseas leading to the break-up of some established playing squads and teams being renamed, including Sunrisers, who were formerly Northern Superchargers.
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Ravi Bopara and Tash Farrant look at the biggest deals from the women’s Hundred auction, including 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman
Here Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain looks at some of the areas to keep an eye on…
Disparity in prices of players
NASSER SAID: “The auction has elongated [the disparity] from bottom to top, whereas when the draft was there, the players were more closely packed.
“It’s not just what happens on the day – it’s what happens after. There will be players now, like Corteen-Coleman and Gibson, who will suddenly feel the focus of attention is on them and the pressure is on.
“There will be a bit of jealousy as well: ‘Why? Why so much money? Why not me?’ And you’ve got overseas players like Deepti who were bought for a fraction of the price.
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All-rounder Gibson and spinner Corteen-Coleman react to their major Hundred deals
“It does alter the dynamic of your career a little – in the dressing room and out of it. That’s where coaching comes into the equation.
“A coach will have to take some of these big-name, big-money players aside. Build them up but also say, ‘This is why we’re paying the money for you, we really value you’.
“Putting an arm round someone when they got £190k, in Gibson’s case, seems like an odd thing to say, but when you are being paid more then international players who have done it for a decade, you have a target on your back.”
Affiliation with supporters
NASSER SAID: “The auction was confusing because you’ve got new sides, new branding, new teams. It takes time to get your head around who plays for who, who coaches who. Hopefully that will come with time.
“The affiliation has gone. In the last few years of The Hundred, only one or two sides have been able to keep their continuity. Northern Superchargers Women and Oval Invincibles Men.
“You turned up and you saw that connection between the fans and the players, because many of those playing at The Oval came through that system. But that’s been ripped up.
Sam Billings captained Oval Invincibles to three successive men’s Hundred titles – before the team was rebranded as MI London and he was released
“We talk about money, and it’s funny because sport is about money. The best product in British sport is Premier League football – and that is about money. But sport is more than money. It’s that affiliation, that bonding, that history between a fan and a club.
“I think that will eventually happen with The Hundred. The IPL has done that, but it’s been going on for a very long time. There’s an affiliation with individuals as well – Royal Challengers Bengaluru with Virat Kohli, for example.
“I think there is more of an affiliation with a team now. A fan may not know who’s actually playing on that day. That may come with time.”
Lisa Keightley is the only women’s head coach in The Hundred in 2026, with MI London
Lack of female head coaches?
Lisa Keightley, at MI London Women, is the only female head coach in the 2026 edition of The Hundred and said at the auction that was “disappointing”.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, former England seamer Tash Farrant said: “You want female coaches in the future but you don’t want to rush female staff members before they are ready. They need to have the experience.
“There have been a lot more auctions in the men’s game up to now so there will be male domination.
“It was great to see [former England wicketkeeper] Sarah Taylor here, also on the men’s table, with Manchester Super Giants.
“You want women involved but you want to make sure the people you have have the experience. So it’s about getting the balance right.”
Ex-England seamer Anya Shrubsole was involved at the auction in her role of assistant coach at Southern Brave Women.
Watch the 2026 edition of The Hundred, live on Sky Sports from July 21-August 16.
