The inaugural Women’s Hundred Auction for the 2026 season took place on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Piccadilly Lights in London. This marked a historic shift from the previous draft system to an IPL-style auction model, fueled by new private investment and several franchises being rebranded to reflect their IPL-affiliated owners.

Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney lead a record-breaking day

The single biggest storyline of the auction was the attention two prominent stars recieved. With private equity pouring into the league and the franchises, the women’s team salary pots were doubled to a substantial £880,000 each. This created intense bidding wars that pushed the top player prices to unprecedented levels. The day’s ultimate prize was shared by two stalwarts of the international game – Sophie Devine (£210,000) and Beth Mooney (£210,000).

The New Zealand powerhouse’s explosive batting and clever medium-pace make her a complete package. Devine’s addition gives Welsh Fire an incredible X-factor and captaincy option, justifying her status as the joint-most expensive signing. Similarly, Mooney, one of the most consistent run-scorer in T20 cricket, offers stability and firepower at the top of the order. The Australian wicketkeeper-batter’s move to Nottingham is a massive statement from the Rockets.

Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh headline new signings

While blockbuster stars like Smriti Mandhana (Manchester Super Giants) and Amelia Kerr (MI London) were already retained by their teams, the auction was the only path for many other top-tier internationals. The South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk was another player in high demand, securing a massive £170,000 deal for her batting and crucial death-over bowling. Following Deepti Sharma‘s pre-retention by Sunrisers Leeds (£27,500), the wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was another significant buy, joining the Manchester Super Giants for £50,000. These signings continue to deepen the links between English and Indian domestic cricket.

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Complete list of Sold players at The Hundred 2026 auction

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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