With the 2024 edition of The Hundred upon us, let’s look at the Indian cricketers participating this year. Running from July 23 to August 18, 2024, the fourth season features eight men’s and women’s teams from major cities across England and Wales.
The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket tournament organized by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), with its inaugural season in 2021.
Three Indian players are participating in The Hundred Women’s 2024: Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave), Deepti Sharma (London Spirit), and Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix). All three will join the tournament after fulfilling their international duties at the ACC 2024 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka from July 19 to 28.
In the past, Indian players Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Shafali Verma have also featured in the competition.
Let’s have a look below at the Indian cricketers at The Hundred Women’s 2024:
Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave):
Smriti Mandhana, the left-handed opening batter, has been with the Southern Brave since the inaugural edition, scoring 616 runs in 24 innings. She has been integral to the team’s success, with Brave being runners-up in the first two seasons and champions’ last season. Given her consistent form, especially since the recently concluded series against South Africa at home, the defending champions can count on Mandhana for strong performances.
Meanwhile, Charli Knott will play the first two games for Brave as an overseas replacement for Mandhana, who will be on international duty.
Deepti Sharma (London Spirit):
Deepti Sharma, the all-rounder, received a late call-up this season, replacing Australia’s Grace Harris, who is out due to a calf injury. Sharma played for Spirit in 2021, featuring in 8 matches, scoring 77 runs and taking 10 wickets with an economy of 5.26. Although part of Birmingham Phoenix in 2022, she did not play any games.
As a left-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler, she has played in 13 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) matches for Sydney Thunder, accumulating 211 runs and claiming 13 wickets. Her WBBL bests are a score of 44 and bowling figures of 3/13. In the Women’s Premier League (WPL), she has featured in 17 matches for UP Warriorz, scoring 385 runs and taking 19 wickets. Notably, in the 2024 WPL, Sharma became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick, against Delhi Capitals on March 8, 2024, and was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season.
While she is on international duty, Australia’s Erin Burns will temporarily replace her at The Hundred.
Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix):
Richa Ghosh, the wicketkeeper batter, played for London Spirit last season in The Hundred, scoring 107 runs in 6 innings. She has also appeared in 14 WBBL matches for Hobart Hurricanes, accumulating 162 runs, with a top score of 46 in the 2021/22 season. In the WPL, she has played 18 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, scoring 395 runs.
New Zealand legend Suzie Bates will cover for Ghosh in the first three games of The Hundred while she is on international duty.
