Hundred auction creates some of the highest-paid sportswomen in the UK

The first auction of its kind in a major British sport saw the Hundred create some of the highest-paid sportswomen in the UK.

“The first auction of its kind in a major British sport saw the Hundred create some of the highest paid sportswomen in the UK”

BBC

As a result of the investment made in the Hundred by sales of stakes in the eight teams, women's salaries have increased immensely, with many deals outstripping the maximum £65,000 on offer 12 months ago.

BBC

All-rounder Danielle Gibson, pace bowler Issy Wong and 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman received deals in excess of £100,000 in the inaugural Hundred auction held at Piccadilly Lights in London.

Overseas players also commanded huge fees, with Australia wicketkeeper Beth Mooney and former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine bought for £210,000 by Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire respectively.

Several headline deals included Gibson going for £190,000 to Sunrisers Leeds despite a recent back injury, Wong bought for £130,000 by Southern Brave, and Corteen-Coleman's £105,000 deal representing a big jump from her £12,500 wage in last year's competition.

Spinner Linsey Smith, all-rounder Em Arlott and batter Paige Scholfield also attracted fees of more than £100,000.

BBC

Before the auction, teams were allowed a maximum of four direct signings, meaning established internationals such as England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and spinner Sophie Ecclestone, along with overseas stars Ellyse Perry and Smriti Mandhana, had already been snapped up.

Sciver-Brunt and pace bowler Lauren Bell were the most lucrative pre-signings, bought for £140,000 by Trent Rockets and Southern Brave respectively.

This is the first time squads in the Hundred have been assembled by means of an auction; previously, players were selected in a draft system.

“The first auction of its kind in a major British sport saw the Hundred create some of the highest paid sportswomen in the UK”

BBC

The change follows the sale of stakes in all eight franchises last year, which raised more than £500m to be distributed across the game in England and Wales.

Teams in the women's Hundred have £880,000 to assemble their squads, making it the second most lucrative women's cricket league in the world behind India's Women's Premier League (WPL) with its pot of about £1.3m.

The sums spent mark a huge increase from 2021 when the highest wage available was £15,000, the lowest base price for women in the auction is £15,000, and the eight franchises are investing up to £7.2m in salaries for the women's Hundred alone in 2026 with some expecting to break even within two years.

There was criticism of the auction model from Sam Billings, who wrote on X that "Auction will always only benefit a few and probably deserved for those few players," and that "the disparity is too much" and the draft structure was better from an overall player standpoint.

In February BBC Sport reported that the four Hundred franchises linked to teams in the Indian Premier League would not consider buying players from Pakistan; the England and Wales Cricket Board and the eight franchises then released a joint statement saying "players must not be excluded on the grounds of their nationality".

BBC

Two Pakistan players, Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal, were in the women's auction but neither was bought on Wednesday, as expected, and a Pakistani woman is yet to feature in the Hundred.

There are 17 Pakistan players in the men's auction, with pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi and spinner Usman Tariq among those who could attract attention.