All you need to know about The Hundred Womens Competition 2024

What is The Hundred 2024 Women's Competition?

The Hundred Women's 2024 is a city-based competition hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Its first season was held in 2021, and 2024 marks its fourth edition. Yup, the women’s competition means that there is a men’s competition, and it has the same name, ‘The Hundred’.  

Funny thing, they are played together. Not like ‘together’ together, but on the same day and at the same venue, one after the other. The women’s game precedes the men’s. Interesting right? It is a one-of-a-kind cricket tournament. 

Are the rules, format and playing conditions different from the Men’s competition?

No. So, basically, the rules are the same. So, it is 100 balls per team per innings. 10 balls, after which the ends get changed. 5 balls, after which the bowler can be changed, and 10 balls, after which the bowler must be changed. 20 balls that a bowler can bowl maximum, and finally, whoever scores the most after completion of both innings wins. Simple right?

But there are some other complicated rules apart from these simple ones. Worry not, as we have got you covered with this Men’s Hundred FAQ, where every rule is discussed in detail. 

What are the teams participating in The Hundred Women’s 2024?

So, the rules are done; now comes the teams. The team names for both the men’s and women’s competitions are the same. They represent the same city and region as the men’s team: Northern Superchargers, Manchester Originals, London Spirit, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Wales Fire, Birmingham Phoenix, and Trent Rockets. 

When is the Hundred 2024 Women’s competition starting?

Now that we know what it is, the more important question is when it is. Both the men's and women’s competitions will begin and end at the same time. 

Hence, The Hundred Women's 2024 will begin on July 23, with two-time champions Oval Invincibles taking on the Birmingham Phoenix at the Kennington Oval in London. 

The final of the tournament will be played on August 18 (Sunday) at the Lord’s in London. The league stage will go on till August 15, while the Eliminator will take place on August 17 at the Kennington Oval. 

Check all the fixtures here.

What are the venues for The Hundred 2024 Women's Competition?

Just like the men’s competition, eight venues across seven cities in England and Wales will host The Hundred 2024 Women’s competition. The venues with their home teams and cities are as follows:

Who are the defending champions and most successful teams in The Hundred Women’s competition?

So we know the what (is it) of it, the how (is it played or the rules basically) of it, the who (teams) of it, the when (schedule, you know) of it and the where (venues) of it. As a journalist, I must tell the remaining W of the ‘five Ws, one H’ thumb rule. Isn’t it? Just kidding. So the last W is why. Why is it played? Of course, to be crowned the champions.

Since it is the fourth season, who are the champions of the past? Only two teams have won the tournament and only three have made it to the final in the last three seasons. Southern Brave of Southampton redeemed themselves after two failed attempts in 2021 and 2022 by winning the trophy in 2023. They beat the Northern Superchargers in the final. In the two seasons before 2023, Brave were beaten by Oval Invincibles consecutively in the final at Lord’s. 

Tell me one reason to watch it, man. Indian players!!

Indian men’s players cannot participate in any other leagues. But the women can, and hence, they will be seen chirping (without Jemimah, though) and possibly flying high in The Hundred Womens Competition 2024. Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave) and Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) were signed in The Hundred 2024 Women’s Draft. Deepti Sharma (London Spirit) was brought in as a replacement for Australian Grace Harris, who is out with an injury.

Did you just say draft? What is that?

Unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL) or other franchise-based cricket leagues, a player cannot earn an insurmountable amount if he is in demand at The Hundred. It is the same for men's and women's competitions. 

Over here, a draft system works in which salary bands are pre-decided by the ECB. Accordingly, players in The Hundred Women's competition draft could have earned the following amount as their tournament salaries for the 2024 season. This limit is on a per-team basis. 

£50,000 (two players)

£40,000 (two players)

£30,000 (two players)

£17,500 (two players)

£14,000 (two players)

£11,000 (two players)

£8,000 (three players)

However, ahead of the draft, the women’s teams had a choice of retaining at max eight players from their 2023 squad. Most of the teams made use of the retention policy, with only Phoenix (seven) and Rockets (six) retaining less than eight players. 

Who are the most expensive buys in The Hundred 2024 Women's Draft?

So, for the remaining six players in their squad, the teams went shopping in The Hundred Draft and here are the costliest picks from it. 

Amy Jones (Birmingham Phoenix), Meg Lanning (London Spirit), Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Annabel Sutherland (Northern Superchargers), Chamari Athapaththu (Oval Invincibles), Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave), Ashleigh Gardner (Trent Rockets) and Jess Jonassen (Welsh Fire) were the first picks in the Draft, which meant that they got into the salary band of £50,000 which is approximately INR 54 lakh. 

Captains and coaches for the Hundred 2024 women’s competition 

Now that we know all about who is available, who is not, and who has how much money, it is time to know who they are playing under. Right, the captain and coaches of the teams in The Hundred 2024 women’s competition. 

Any replacements we must be aware of?

Mahika Gaur of the Originals will miss out this season due to injury. Bethan Ellis will replace Gaur. The Manchester side will also have to do without Australian Sophie Molineux, who will be replaced by Kim Garth. 

The Indian players and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu will be available only after the end of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. 

Finally, what are the squads?

You can check out all eight squads here. 

Where can I watch The Hundred Women’s competition in India?

All matches will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network and streamed on FanCode. Each matchday will be a double-header, with a women's and men’s game involving the same teams. The women’s game will be followed by the men’s. 

The Women’s Hundred matches will start at 7:15 pm Indian Standard Time (IST). So, what are you waiting for? Go boast your skills with your friends!

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