"I’m looking forward to being a part of it"
Drafting players for The Hundred 2024 took place ahead of the tournament’s start in July.
The 100-ball cricket tournament has attracted new audiences to the sport since its inauguration in 2021.
With each game lasting less than three hours, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience.
The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side.
For the 2024 tournament, both Naseem Shah and Moeen Ali were signed by Birmingham Phoenix.
Pakistan’s Shah was one of the side’s biggest signings, with a salary band of £125,000.
Meanwhile, Ali joined on a £100,000 salary band.
Moeen Ali had come out of Test cricket retirement to represent England at the 2023 Ashes.
At a press conference, Ali revealed that his wife was not too keen on his return as it meant he had to cancel some family holidays.
For Birmingham Phoenix women, Indian star Richa Ghosh was the only Asian signing.
Ghosh is coming off a great performance at the WPL, which saw her Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) triumph.
Birmingham local Amy Jones will return to the side for the fourth time.
She said: “I’m really excited to be returning to Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
“Edgbaston is my home, and I may be biased as a local but it’s a great ground to play at.
“It has been a weird feeling not knowing where I’ll be playing next season so I’m very happy to know I’ll be back with Phoenix and I can’t wait to get back to it later in the summer.
“I’ve loved playing in The Hundred over the last three seasons and I’m looking forward to being a part of it again this year.”
Sikandar Raza, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Usama Mir were snapped up by Manchester Originals.
Mir recently played for Multan Sultans in the PSL and made history by becoming the first spin-bowler to achieve a six-wicket haul.
His side went on to defeat Lahore Qalandars by 60 runs.
Teen sensation Mahika Gaur will be on the women’s side for The Hundred 2024.
Gaur hit headlines in 2023 when she received her first call-up to England’s senior side, while still doing her A-Levels.
Joining Northern Superchargers is Adil Rashid for £125,000.
He will play alongside England teammate Ben Stokes.
Saqib Mahmood was drafted to the Oval Invincibles, joining the likes of Sam Curran and Jordan Cox.
The men’s Oval Invincibles side are the defending champions so it will be intriguing to see if they can hold on to their title.
England player has joined Southern Brave while the women’s team has drafted Indian superstar Smriti Mandhana.
Mandhana was also part of RCB’s win at the 2024 WPL.
She now joins the defending champions in the 2024 women’s tournament.
Led by Joe Root, Trent Rockets will feature names like Rashid Khan and Imad Wasim.
Wasim, who recently played a crucial role in Islamabad United’s win in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 9), has returned to Trent Rockets for £100,000.
Kira Chathli joins the women’s team for £11,000.
Pakistani stars Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi were secured by Welsh Fire.
Rauf was retained by the side for the 2024 tournament.
Each team has two wildcard slots that are yet to be announced.
In 2023, The Hundred and Birmingham Phoenix continued to attract new audiences to cricket.
A record 580,000 fans were in attendance across The Hundred last season, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition while Birmingham Phoenix saw 70,000 people attend across the four games at Edgbaston last season.
There will be a priority window open from April 9-23 for all fans who sign up in advance at thehundred.com.
The general sale period begins on April 25.
Tickets are once again great value, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 3-15 (free for under 3s) and adults starting from £11.
All games will again be live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.
The Hundred 2024 gets underway on July 23.
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