Proteas Women all-rounder Nadine de Klerk was among the top buys at the inaugural auction for The Hundred on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old, who scored 208 runs at an average of 52 at last year’s ODI Women’s World Cup, went to the London Spirit for £170,000 (R3.7-million).
New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney of Australia topped the bidding, each securing deals worth £210,000 (R4.6-million). Devine will play for the Welsh Fire while the Trent Rockets won the race to sign star batter and wicketkeeper Mooney.
All-rounder Dani Gibson went for £190,000 to Sunrisers Leeds to become the highest-paid Englishwoman.
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De Klerk will join fellow Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp at the London Spirit. Veteran Kapp had starred for two-time champions the Oval Invincibles but was released at the end of last season and Spirit pre-signed her for £130,000 (R2.8-million).
Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt was retained by the Southern Brave for £75,000 (R1.6-million), while Lizelle Lee was picked up by the Brave for £27,500 (R609,000).
However, Tazmin Brits, Suné Luus, Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail all went unsold.
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The Hundred has changed the way teams pick players this year. In the first auction of its kind in a major British sport, held in London, spending on women players skyrocketed.
Last year’s cap, under a draft system, was £65,000.
Stakes in the eight city-based franchises – which all have men’s and women’s teams – were sold last year to private investors, raising huge sums for cricket in England and Wales.
Four of the franchises – the Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds, MI London and Southern Brave – are at least part-owned by companies that control IPL teams.
Women’s teams each have £880,000 available to fill their squads while men’s sides have a budget of £2.05 million. The men’s auction takes place on Thursday.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred starts on July 21 and runs for four weeks.
– AFP
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
