The sixth edition of The Women’s Hundred introduces groundbreaking changes, including a first-ever player auction in March 2026, a doubled salary pot to £880,000 per team for 15-player squads, and up to four pre-auction signings or retentions per franchise, deducting from the pot at £360k or £310k sets.
Three teams rebrand amid new ownership: Manchester Super Giants (ex-Manchester Originals), MI London (ex-Oval Invincibles), and Sunrisers Leeds (ex-Northern Superchargers), while others stay classic. The upcoming 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred will commence from 21st July 2026 to 16th August 2026. Here’s a look at each team’s key direct signings and retentions, blending firepower with past glories.
Birmingham Phoenix
Alice Capsey, Lauren Filer, and Lucy Hamilton join as direct signings, with Ellyse Perry retained, deducting £360k from their auction pot. This quartet promises explosive all-round depth for the Phoenix, who slumped to 7th in 2025 with 8 points from two wins and six losses.
The young 21-year-old experienced English all-rounder Alice Capsey’s promising stint with Oval Invincibles since the inception of the tournament comes to an end as she switches over to Birmingham for the upcoming season. The young 25-year-old speedster Lauren Filer will be representing her 4th franchise in the tournament after being with Manchester Originals for the last couple of seasons. She has also represented Welsh Fire in the 2nd edition of the tournament in 2022 and London Spirit in the 3rd edition of the tournament in 2023.
The young 19-year-old left-arm pace bowling all-rounder Lucy Hamilton will be playing in her debut season at the upcoming 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred. She is definitely a player to watch out for in the upcoming season. She has been impressive in the Australian domestic circuit, delivering noteworthy performances on a consistent basis for her side.
London Spirit
Retaining captaincy candidates Charlie Dean and Grace Harris, London Spirit adds direct firepower with Mahika Gaur and Marizanne Kapp, £360k committed pre-auction. Champions in 2024 after a thrilling 4-wicket final win over Welsh Fire, they placed 3rd in 2025 (20 points, 5-3 record) but fell 42 runs short in the eliminator to Northern Superchargers.
The legendary Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp’s iconic stint with the Oval Invincibles franchise comes to an end after being an integral and pivotal part of the 2-time champions Invincibles, in the Women’s Hundred, marking potentially one of the most shocking exits for the Invincibles fans. The tall 19-year-old left-arm pace bowling sensation, Mahika Gaur hogs the headlines after being a part of Manchester Originals for a couple of seasons in the tournament.
Manchester Super Giants
Sophie Ecclestone stays retained, bolstered by direct signings of Meg Lanning and Smriti Mandhana for a £310k deduction. Rebranded from Manchester Originals, who ended 5th in 2025 (16 points, even 4-4 split), this legendary trio eyes playoff redemption. The legendary former Australian skipper Meg Lanning brings a lot of championship pedigree and astute leadership to the rebranded Manchester franchise in the upcoming season.
MI London
Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge arrive as direct signings, costing £310k, rebranding the two-time champions (2021, 2022 wins over Southern Brave). Ex-Oval Invincibles languished 6th last season (8 points, two wins, six defeats), missing knockouts entirely.
The West Indian skipper Hayley Matthews finally moved on from Welsh Fire, after being with the franchise since the inception of the Women’s Hundred in the year 2021. The 34-year-old experienced veteran top-order batter Danielle Wyatt-Hodge’s stint with Southern Brave came to an end after being with the franchise since the inception of the tournament. She will be turning up for the re-branded Oval franchise, MI London, for the upcoming season. The star White Ferns all-rounder Amelia Kerr switches from Manchester Originals after being with the franchise in the previous edition of the tournament.
Southern Brave
Three retentions, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Laura Wolvaardt, plus Jemimah Rodrigues’ direct signing, deduct £360k. 2023 winners (34-run final triumph over Northern Superchargers) after 2021-22 runner-up finishes, they topped 2025 standings unbeaten (32 points, 8-0) but lost the final by 7 wickets to Northern Superchargers.
Sunrisers Leeds
Triple retentions of Kate Cross, Phoebe Litchfield, and Annabel Sutherland lock £310k, fueling the new-look champions from Northern Superchargers. They clinched maiden glory in 2025 (7-wicket final over Southern Brave) and were 2023 runners-up, setting up title defence.
Trent Rockets
Retaining Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner, with direct signings Sophia Dunkley and Kim Garth (£360k hit). Sitting 4th in 2025 (16 points, 4-4 record), this balanced unit blends leadership and pace for knockout contention. The experienced English top-order batter Sophia Dunkley switched from Welsh Fire after being with the franchise for the last three seasons.
Welsh Fire
Freya Kemp, Georgia Voll, and Georgia Wareham sign directly for £310k, rebuilding after rock-bottom 2025 (8th, 4 points, one win, seven losses). 2024 runners-up (4-wicket final loss to London Spirit), they seek a swift resurgence. The Australian leg-spin all-rounder Georgia Wareham moved from the Northern Superchargers after being with the franchise for the last three seasons in the tournament.
Freya Kemp made a move from the Southern Brave after being with the franchise for the last four editions of the tournament. The promising 22-year-old sensation from Australia, Georgia Voll, made a move from the Birmingham Phoenix after being with them in the previous edition of the tournament.
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