MICHAEL RUDLING: Which teams have fared well? Where are the gaps? Which sides would wish to pick again? Who looks best placed for success in 2022? The Cricketer answers the key questions after the player draft...
The final 42 berths in the men's squads for the second edition of The Hundred have been filled after the big reveal of the player draft on Tuesday (April 5). The Cricketer takes a look at which sides have made the most of the opportunity to refresh their roster, and who will wish they could pick again...
Drafted: Kieran Pollard (£125,000), Liam Dawson (£125,000), Riley Meredith (£75,000), Jordan Thompson (£75,000), Daniel Bell-Drummond (£50,000), Chris Wood (£50,000)
Twelve years after Mumbai Indians made Kieran Pollard the most expensive player in IPL history, he remains a highly sort-after cricketer. His miserly T20I bowling against England this January showed he is still capable of all-around magic, and he was at his destructive best last March when he hit six sixes in an over against Sri Lanka. London Spirit will need him at his best if they are to avoid a repeat of last season’s last-place finish.
Liam Dawson will offer good control as a spin partner for his Hampshire teammate Mason Crane. He is also capable of a handy cameo with the bat.
Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond may end up playing a key role for the Spirit, as Zak Crawley will likely be playing in the Test series against South Africa that clashes with the second half of The Hundred.
Having not been picked in the 2021 draft for the Hundred, Bell-Drummond will be keen to build on the form he showed in the Blast last year (he made a vital 82 on Finals Day, coming after he finished the 2020 competition as the leading run-scorer) and re-establish himself as a classy short-form batter.
Drafted: Joe Clarke (£125,000), Tom Banton (£125,000), Adam Zampa (£100,000) David Miller (£75,000), Sam Hain (£50,000), Jacob Bethell (£30,000)
Jonny Bairstow’s recent return to Test form meant Welsh Fire badly needed an effective opener -highlighted by the drop-off once he joined up with England last year - and they have found an excellent one in Joe Clarke. His 419 runs in the recent BBL were the most by an overseas player and was a continuation of his upward trajectory.
Tom Banton looks set to open alongside Clarke, he showed his potential when he thrashed 73 off 39 against the West Indies in January.
Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa is a useful signing for a side lacking spin options. Zampa has a solid T20 economy of 7.3 and recently showed his worth as an attacking spinner by taking 4 for 38 in Australia’s only win against Pakistan in their recent ODI series.
David Miller has an excellent record considering he only cost the Fire £75,000, although he may miss a few games if called up for South Africa’s ODI series against Ireland. Another good cricketer for the money is Sam Hain for just £50,000. Not the most attacking batter, but could make an effective anchor in a line-up packed with big hitters.
Clarke was the second pick in the player draft (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Drafted: Andre Russell (£125,000), Laurie Evans (£125,000), Wanindu Harasanga (£100,000), Daniel Worrall (£75,000), Sean Abbott (£60,000)
The Originals already looked strong at the top of the order with the retentions of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, but Laurie Evans takes the side to a new level.
He has been one of the most consistent English performers in white-ball cricket since his breakthrough with Sussex in 2018. Evans showed his worth in a crisis when he rescued the Perth Scorchers from 25 for 4 with a brisk 76 in the 2022 BBL final during what felt like a key winter.
Andre Russell will also bring middle-order muscle to the team. One of the most sort after T20 players in the past five years, showing why again last week by hammering 70 off 31 for Kolkata Knight Riders the IPL last week. His bowling will also be handy for a squad light on seamers.
Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Harasanga is an interesting signing. The young leg-spinner is undoubtedly a world-class short-form cricketer, he boasts a career economy of 6.5 in T20 cricket and is a key member of his country's exciting new generation.
Given Old Trafford’s reputation as a spinning pitch, he is likely to do well. The issue is that Manchester Originals had retained three domestic spinners already, and they may regret missing out on a seamer with more star quality than Daniel Worrall or Sean Abbott.
Drafted: Dwayne Bravo (£125,000), Wahab Riaz (£75,000), Adam Hose (£60,000), Roelof Van der Merwe (£40,000), Luke Wright (£30,000)
Death bowling proved especially important in last year’s competition, so Dwayne Bravo looks like a wise pick from the Superchargers. It is a little surprising to see a 38-year-old bowler at the top price bracket, but the fact that he has been around the block and won it all is Bravo’s main strength. He recently became the top wicket-taker in IPL history and his performances this season show no sign of a drop-off.
Wahab Riaz is another exciting pick. He topped the averages in the 2021 Hundred after taking 4 for 30 against Welsh Fire. Like Bravo, Riaz’s best years may be behind him, but there are few better exponents of reverse swing in the game. Will hope to get a full campaign under his belt after a rather torrid time in 2021.
Completing a trio of solid, if ageing, picks is Luke Wright. He is the top scorer in Blast history and will be keen to prove he can still deliver after spending last season’s Hundred campaign on the sidelines. He made 370 runs at 41 in the Blast last season.
Wahab Riaz (Asif Hassan/Getty Images)
Drafted: Sunil Narine (£125,000), Rilee Rossuow (£60,000), Danny Briggs (£50,000), Hilton Cartwright (£50,000), Matt Milnes (£40,000), Jack Leaning (£40,00)
Resigning Sunil Narine was a key move for an Oval Invincibles side that narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season. He’s one of the best T20 bowlers of all time, and his reinvention as a pinch hitter gives him the potential to change a game from anywhere.
Laurie Evans will be a big loss, but Rilee Rossuow is a handy replacement for just £60,000. The South African had an excellent PSL campaign, averaging 39 and striking at 168 in a league famed for its high-quality bowling. He might not have the pedigree of Evans, but Rossuow is one of the most dangerous batters in the world on his day.
The Invincibles came into the draft with a strong core of a squad, and the signings of Danny Briggs, Hilton Cartwright, Matt Milnes and Jack Leaning will add important depth. Milnes may end up playing a leading role if Sam Curran receives a Test callup.
Drafted: Tom Kohler-Cadmore (£125,000), Colin Munro (£75,000), Ian Cockbain (£75,000), Luke Fletcher (£30,000)
Despite not being at his best in either of his recent overseas tournament outings, Tom Kohler-Cadmore is undoubtedly a destructive batter. His opening partnership with Alex Hales has serious potential.
Colin Munro is a sensible signing for just £75,000 and he has shown excellent form recently, making 165 runs at 82 in just three games at the PSL. Gloucestershire batter Ian Cockbain will also add some important middle-order depth. He was one of the standout English players in the Big Bash, scoring 239 runs at 60.
Trent Rockets’ biggest concern will be spin. They do have Rashid Khan in the squad but he is likely to miss much of the tournament through international duty. It leaves a lot of pressure on Samit Patel and Matt Carter.
Quinton de Kock is back at Southern Brave (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Drafted: Matthew Wade (£125,000), Olly Stone (£100,000), Kane Richardson, (£60,000), Matthew Fisher (£50,000), Graeme Van Buuren (£30,000).
£125,000 seems like a lot of money for Matthew Wade, but the Phoenix squad needed an opener to partner the impressive Will Smeed, and the Australian proved his quality when he hammered 41 off 17 against an excellent Pakistan attack to put Australia into the T20 World Cup final.
Olly Stone is a good signing on paper, but if he puts his injury problems behind him an England call up won’t be far away, so Birmingham may have spent £100,000 on a player who will disappear after three games. He is one of the quickest bowlers in England, though, and Marchant de Lange showed last year how effective pace can be in the Hundred. Combined with fellow new signings Kane Richardson, Matt Fisher and the retained Adam Milne, the Phoenix have put together a lively pace attack.
As with the Rockets, the lack of frontline spin will be a worry for the Birmingham side. Graeme Van Buuren is a handy all-round addition to aid Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, but the absence of Imran Tahir as a threatening and controlling main spinner will be felt.
Drafted: Quinton de Kock (£125,000), Rehan Ahmed (£50,000), Joe Weatherley (£30,000), Dan Moriarty (£30,000).
The headline for the Brave is that they have resigned Quinton de Kock. The South African keeper-batter made 202 runs at a strike rate of 173 in last year’s tournament. Only Liam Livingstone made more runs at a higher strike rate. De Kock’s recent retirement from Test cricket means he will be available for most of The Hundred, although he may miss the first two rounds to play in South Africa’s ODI series against Ireland.
Another handy batting addition is Joe Weatherley for just £30,000. It has been a slow few years at Hampshire for the opener, but he showed his worth in the semi-final of last year’s blast, hitting 71 off 50 balls and rescuing his side from 8 for 2.
Rehan Ahmed may not be the most established name in the draft, but the 17-year-old leg spinner is still a canny signing. Having lost Liam Dawson and Danny Briggs, Southern Brave needed depth in the spin department, and Ahmed showed a lot of promise at the recent Under-19 World Cup, where he took three consecutive four-wicket-hauls. He’s also played just seven List A games, so has the potential to provide genuine mystery.
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