Smriti Mandhana. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
India opener Smriti Mandhana headlined the Indian presence in the women’s player draft for The Hundred, while compatriot Richa Ghosh secured a deal worth £50,000 (approximately ₹61 lakh) and all-rounder Deepti Sharma also earned a contract during the auction on Wednesday (March 11, 2026).
A total of 178 players went under the hammer in the draft, while 28 had already been either retained or signed directly by franchises ahead of the event.
The League will start on July 21 and conclude on August 16.
Richa was snapped up by Manchester Super Giants for £50,000 after the franchise made a solitary bid that was enough to secure the services of the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
Manchester Super Giants had earlier strengthened their squad by directly signing Mandhana along with Australia great Meg Lanning, while England spinner Sophie Ecclestone was retained by the side.
Deepti, meanwhile, was picked up by SunRisers Leeds at what was considered a bargain price of £27,500 (approx ₹34 lakh). The franchise opened the bidding and faced no further competition to land the experienced Indian all-rounder.
However, India’s Yastika Bhatia and Sree Charani were left disappointed as they went unsold in the draft.
Each women’s franchise had a purse of £880,000 to assemble their squads. Following direct signings and retentions, Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Southern Brave and Trent Rockets were left with £520,000 each ahead of the draft.
Manchester Super Giants, MI London, SunRisers Leeds and Welsh Fire had slightly larger budgets, with £570,000 remaining in their purse before bidding began.
Published – March 12, 2026 04:18 am IST
