Unsold In IPL, Steve Smith Set To Make Debut In This Franchise League

The deadline day for retention in The Hundred 2025 has come and gone, with teams finalising the core of their squads before the highly anticipated Draft on March 12. Each of the eight teams in the competition had the opportunity to retain up to 10 players from their 2024 squads. The big news of the day was that Australian superstar Steve Smith, and interim captain in the absence of Pat Cummins, will play in the competition for the first time in 2025 after having signed for the Welsh Fire. “I've watched the Hundred from afar and I can't wait to be involved. It looks a lot of fun and obviously the cricket is world-class, with talent at every team,” said Smith in a statement.

Afghanistan's Rashid Khan and former Australia women's captain Meg Lanning have both signed for Oval Invincibles.

This year, teams were allowed to keep a mixture of players, including one centrally contracted England player and up to three overseas players. The addition of Direct Signings - overseas players who did not feature in The Hundred last season - was a new rule for 2025, providing teams with a chance to add fresh international talent. These Direct Signings count towards the 10-player retention limit, adding more flexibility to squad-building strategies.

Full retentions list:

Birmingham Phoenix Women: Ellyse Perry (Overseas), Amy Jones, Megan Schutt (Overseas), Emily Arlott, Charis Pavely, Hannah Baker, Sterre Kalis, Ailsa Lister.

Birmingham Phoenix Men: Ben Duckett, Trent Boult (Overseas), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Adam Milne (Overseas), Benny Howell, Tim Southee (Overseas), Dan Mousley, Will Smeed, Chris Wood, Aneurin Donald.

London Spirit Women: Grace Harris (Overseas), Sarah Glenn, Dani Gibson, Deepti Sharma (Overseas), Charlie