The Indian Premier League (IPL) is nothing less than a global phenomenon and it has transformed the game entirely and how it is being played. All the major superstars of different international teams have been groomed in the league and rate it very highly. Just like the IPL, the English-based league The Hundred is a different take on the game. It is a hundred-ball cricket tournament that involves both the men's and women's teams and is organized by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The Hundred was first played in July and August 2021.
Australian speedster Mitchell Starc has reportedly registered his name for The Hundred draft and could be a part of the tournament for the very first time. For Starc to play in the third edition of The Hundred, he has to get picked in one of the five vacant 125,000 pounds slots for the overseas signing. Interestingly, Starc who keeps avoiding the Indian Premier League to manage his workload has preferred The Hundred while most of Australia's multi-format players opted out. As of now Mitchell Starc's availability completely depends on the dates for Australia's limited-overs tour to South Africa that is scheduled to be played in August.
Former Indian cricketer and the winner of the 2007 T20 World Cup Robin Uthappa too entered The Hundred draft and he can very well become the first Indian man to play in the league. Uthappa entered the draft with a reserve price of 40,000 pounds. Though Uthappa isn't the first Indian to enter the draft. Earlier in 2019, Harbhajan Singh too had registered himself but later withdrew his name. As far as the upcoming draft is considered, women cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur (31,250 pounds), Jemimah Rodrigues (31,250 pounds), Deepti Sharma (no reserve price), Shikha Pandey (no reserves price), Disha Kasat (no reserves price) and Kiran Navgire (no reserves price) have thrown themselves into the mix.
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Apart from Australia speedster Mitchell Starc, Pakistan's Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are a few other top names who have put their names across for the upcoming draft. As of now, Pakistan are scheduled to play three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in August and it will be interesting to see if Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi compete in The Hundred.
