Steve Smith, Meg Lanning, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan are among the 12 high-profile players set to join squads in The Hundred after securing Deadline Day deals.
Australia international Smith has joined Welsh Fire, New Zealand bowler Boult teams up with Birmingham Phoenix and Afghanistan captain Khan bolsters back-to-back title-winning Oval Invincibles ahead of the fifth edition of The Hundred.
For the first time, teams have been permitted to sign one player directly ahead of completing their squads at The Hundred Draft on March 12, and the Wildcard Draft in May.
The move has seen an array of international talent from the men’s and women’s game book their places in the tournament alongside domestic and overseas retentions which includes England superstars Jos Buttler, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Adil Rashid.
Marcus Stoinis (Trent Rockets Men), Megan Schutt (Birmingham Phoenix Women) and Lanning (Oval Invincibles Women) have secured deals to strengthen Australian representation in The Hundred, while Boult joins compatriots Kane Williamson (London Spirit Men) and Amelia Kerr (Manchester Originals Women).
South Africans David Miller (Northern Superchargers Men), Faf du Plessis (Southern Brave Men) and Heinrich Klaasen (Manchester Originals Men) join already-confirmed Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt (Southern Brave Women) in the tournament.
Highlights from the men’s final in The Hundred as Oval Invincibles beat Southern Brave to retain the title
Australia batter Smith said: “I’m delighted to be joining Welsh Fire later this summer. I was due to be involved with The Hundred at the beginning of the competition so it’s great to finally be able to make it to Wales.
“I’ve watched The Hundred from afar and I can’t wait to be involved. It looks a lot of fun and obviously the cricket is world-class, with talent at every team. I’m looking forward to trying out a new format and hopefully playing my part for Mike Hussey and the rest of the boys.”
England all-rounder Sciver-Brunt said: “The list of players joining the competition looks better than ever, across the men’s and the women’s competitions.
“We’re delighted to have [Australian duo] Ash Gardner and Alana King back at Trent Bridge, as well as a number of our home-grown players.
“Hopefully this is the year we can go all the way, we’ve still got the chance to add more quality at The Hundred Draft. I know we’re all looking forward to getting back out there in front of our fans.”
The Hundred returns on August 5 at Lord’s with a London derby men’s and women’s double-header between London Spirit and defending champions Oval Invincibles.
Highlights from London Spirit’s clash with Welsh Fire in the final of the women’s Hundred
How do matches work?
- One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.
- Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.
- The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.
- The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
- If a match in the knockout stages is tied, a Super 5 will be played, with the winner being the team scoring the most runs from a further five balls each.
The Hundred is back for its fifth year after breaking more records in 2024
The Hundred 2025: Squads
Birmingham Phoenix Women: Ellyse Perry, Amy Jones, Emily Arlott, Megan Schutt, Hannah Baker, Charis Pavely, Sterre Kalis, Ailsa Lister
Birmingham Phoenix Men: Liam Livingstone, Ben Duckett, Trent Boult, Jacob Bethell, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Dan Mousley, Tim Southee, Will Smeed, Chris Wood, Aneurin Donald
London Spirit Women: Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, Deepti Sharma, Georgia Redmayne, Eva Gray, Cordelia Griffith, Tara Norris, Sophie Munro
London Spirit Men: Liam Dawson, Daniel Worrall, Kane Williamson, Richard Gleeson, Olly Stone, Ollie Pope, Keaton Jennings
Manchester Originals Women: Amelia Kerr, Sophie Ecclestone, Beth Mooney, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur, Evelyn Jones, Kathryn Bryce, Fi Morris, Danielle Gregory
Manchester Originals Men: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Heinrich Klaasen, Matthew Hurst, Scott Currie, Josh Tongue, Tom Hartley, Sonny Baker, Tom Aspinwall
Northern Superchargers Women: Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Bess Heath, Linsey Smith, Hollie Armitage, Alice Davidson-Richards, Grace Ballinger, Davina Perrin
Northern Superchargers Men: Harry Brook, Adil Rashid, David Miller, Mitchell Santner, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Ben Dwarshuis, Graham Clark, Pat Brown, Tom Lawes
Oval Invincibles Women: Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning, Tash Farrant, Ryana Macdonald-Gay, Sophia Smale, Jo Gardner, Rachel Slater
Oval Invincibles Men: Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Tom Curran, Jordan Cox, Rashid Khan, Saqib Mahmood, Sam Billings, Gus Atkinson, Nathan Sowter, Donovan Ferreira, Tawanda Muyeye
Southern Brave Women: Laura Wolvaardt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Maia Bouchier, Lauren Bell, Freya Kemp, Georgia Adams, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Rhianna Southby
Southern Brave Men: James Vince, Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Faf du Plessis, Leus Du Plooy, Craig Overton, Laurie Evans, Finn Allen, Danny Briggs, James Coles
Trent Rockets Women: Ash Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alana King, Heather Graham, Bryony Smith, Grace Scrivens, Kirstie Gordon, Alexa Stonehouse, Natasha Wraith, Cassidy McCarthy
Trent Rockets Men: Joe Root, Marcus Stoinis, Tom Banton, John Turner, Sam Cook, Sam Hain, Tom Alsop, Calvin Harrison
Welsh Fire Women: Hayley Matthews, Tammy Beaumont, Jessica Jonassen, Shabnim Ismail, Sarah Bryce, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Georgia Davis, Emily Windsor, Beth Langston
Welsh Fire Men: Steve Smith, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell, Luke Wells, Stephen Eskinazi
ECB CEO Richard Gould gives an insight into The Hundred’s investment and feels cricket can ‘muscle in’ on football in the future
The Hundred 2025 full fixture list (all games men’s and women’s double-headers)
- Tuesday August 5: London Spirit vs Oval Invincibles, Lord’s
- Wednesday August 6: Manchester Originals vs Southern Brave, Emirates Old Trafford
- Thursday August 7: Northern Superchargers vs Welsh Fire, Headingley
- Friday August 8: Birmingham Phoenix vs Trent Rockets, Edgbaston
- Saturday August 9: Oval Invincibles vs Manchester Originals, Kia Oval
- Saturday August 9: Welsh Fire vs London Spirit, Sophia Gardens
- Sunday August 10: Southern Brave vs Birmingham Phoenix, Utilita Bowl
- Sunday August 10: Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers, Trent Bridge
- Monday August 11: Manchester Originals vs London Spirit, Emirates Old Trafford
- Tuesday August 12: Birmingham Phoenix vs Oval Invincibles, Edgbaston
- Wednesday August 13: Southern Brave vs Northern Superchargers, Utilita Bowl
- Wednesday August 13: Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals, Sophia Gardens
- Thursday August 14: London Spirit vs Trent Rockets, Lord’s
- Friday August 15: Northern Superchargers vs Birmingham Phoenix, Headingley
- Saturday August 16: Trent Rockets vs Southern Brave, Trent Bridge
- Saturday August 16: Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire, the Kia Oval
- Sunday August 17: Manchester Originals vs Northern Superchargers, Emirates Old Trafford
- Sunday August 17: Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit, Edgbaston
- Monday August 18: Southern Brave vs Oval Invincibles, Utilita Bowl
- Tuesday August 19: Trent Rockets vs Manchester Originals, Trent Bridge
- Wednesday August 20: Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave, Sophia Gardens
- Wednesday August 20: London Spirit vs Northern Superchargers, Lord’s
- Thursday August 21: Oval Invincibles vs Trent Rockets, the Kia Oval
- Friday August 22: Birmingham Phoenix vs Welsh Fire, Edgbaston
- Saturday August 23: Northern Superchargers vs Oval Invincibles, Headingley
- Saturday August 23: London Spirit vs Southern Brave, Lord’s
- Sunday August 24: Welsh Fire vs Trent Rockets, Sophia Gardens
- Sunday August 24: Manchester Originals vs Birmingham Phoenix, Emirates Old Trafford
- Monday August 25: Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit, the Kia Oval
- Tuesday August 26: Northern Superchargers vs Manchester Originals, Headingley
- Wednesday August 27: Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Bridge
- Thursday August 28: Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire, Utilita Bowl
- Saturday August 30: The Hundred Eliminator, the Kia Oval
- Sunday August 31: The Hundred Final, Lord’s
