The Hundred draft 2025: The nine most surprising omissions

Each squad is now complete barring the two wildcard picks for each team, which will be selected closer to the start of the tournament. Some of the marquee signings included former Australia opener David Warner, who will join the Justin Langer-led London Spirit.

In the women's draft, the biggest name sold was 21-year-old Australia batter Georgia Voll, who capped off her rapid rise over the last few months with a £65,000 deal to play for Birmingham Phoenix.

However, there were several high profile players across both drafts that went unsold, and will not be part of the competition in the summer.

Every Pakistan player registered

Fifty players from Pakistan were registered for the draft across both auctions - 45 in the men's, and five in the women's. It's their omission from the men's side of things that is most interesting, however, with only four overseas spots available in the women's draft tightening the number of signings.

While it's slightly surprising that no men's players were picked up, there are behind the scenes reasons. Last year, both Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi were set to play in the Hundred, but neither ended up participating. Shaheen chose to play in the Global T20 Canada and spend more time with his family in an international break, while Naseem wasn't granted an NOC by the PCB. The most significant reason Pakistan players weren't selected however, lies in the international calendar. The first half of The Hundred will clash with Pakistan's white-ball series against West Indies, and there is also a series against Afghanistan in the Future Tours Programme that may clash with the competition.

Every West Indies player registered

There will also be no West Indies players in the men's Hundred this year, after all of them were passed over. Clashes with international cricket have never previously stopped West Indies players from opting to play franchise leagues, but an overlap with the CPL this year has. Last year, The Hundred was finished by the time the CPL started, allowing West Indies' players to participate in both. However, there is a two-week overlap this year, meaning West Indies players would not be available for the full Hundred.

James Anderson

The 42-year-old who hasn't played a T20 in over a decade continued his unsuccessful pursuit of a franchise contract, having also been passed over in the IPL mega auction late last year. There is merit to Anderson putting himself forward for these competitions. From a branding perspective, a team having England's greatest-ever red-ball bowler in their ranks plays well, and there's still a job Anderson could do in a T20 outfit, especially in a format that encourages bowling specialisation.

Despite retiring from international cricket last year, he will still play domestic cricket for Lancashire this year, and will be available for the T20 Blast. Selection as a wildcard pick, should he prove his form and fitness, is not impossible.

Tim David

With only eight overseas slots available in the men's draft this year, the big-hitting Australia finisher found himself squeezed out. He played a crucial role in the final of the first edition of the tournament, and was subsequently picked up in the second two editions. However, he missed out in last year's draft and couldn't find a buyer again this time round.

45 Pakistan players had registered for the men's draft in the Hundred.

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— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 13, 2025

Jason Roy

The former England white-ball star went unsold for the second year in a row, despite being added to Northern Superchargers' squad last year as injury cover for Brydon Carse. He last played in The Hundred in 2023, when he endured a difficult season for eventual champions Oval Invincibles.

Alyssa Healy

The Australia captain was the biggest name to go unsold in the women's player draft. As one of the leading opening batters and captains in the game, she played for Northern Superchargers in 2022 before she was injured out of the 2023 season. What's most notable about Healy's omission is that compatriot Georgia Voll was picked up, and for more than Healy's reserve price was set at. Voll scored 55 and 99* in her last two WPL innings before the draft, while Healy is missing the competition to recover from injury.

Chamari Athapaththu

Athapaththu often misses out on places in overseas leagues, and has previously voiced her frustration over not being selected in the highest profile competitions. However, she has featured in the WPL over the last two years and played for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred last year. She was released from the Oval squad ahead of the auction this year, after a disappointing year saw her average only 11.00 for the side.

Chinelle Henry

While Chinelle Henry might have been an outside bet for the draft only a month ago, her WPL power-hitting put her firmly on the franchise radar. Henry has carved out a niche for herself as a lower-order innings finisher, striking at almost 200 in this year's WPL for UP Warriorz. However, teams may have been unwilling to put faith in a player who has only recently shown herself to be a significant hitter, especially with only three overseas spots available in each squad and XI.

Richa Ghosh

Ghosh set her reserve price in the highest bracket of £65,000. She has previously represented Birmingham Phoenix and London Spirit, and is currently in the top 10 run scorers in the WPL. However, she hasn't replicated the explosive capacity she has on the international and WPL circuits during her previous stints in The Hundred. That, as well as the high bar for overseas players joining the competition this year, counted against her.

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