Devine will play for Welsh Fire as she enters the latter phase of her career at the age of 36, having relinquished the New Zealand T20 captaincy after lifting the World Cup in 2024 and retired from ODIs late last year.
Australian Mooney was the subject of a bidding war between Trent Rockets and Manchester Super Giants, with the Rockets winning her services as a consistently devastating batter and accomplished wicketkeeper.
Their salaries are far higher than the previous top wage in the women’s Hundred (£65,000) and 14 times higher than top wage in the tournament’s first edition in 2021 (£15,000). They also outstrip the highest salaries in the Women’s Big Bash League, and are comparable to the wages on offer at the WPL.
The salary cap in the women’s Hundred has doubled to £880,000 per team this year as a direct result of the new private investment in the Hundred, which has seen external investors become owners or co-owners of all eight franchises.
But the most intriguing storyline of the domestic marquee section which opened the auction in central London’s Piccadilly Circus was Gibson, who seemed to come from nowhere to attract a massive price from Sunrisers Leeds.
Playing for London Spirit, Gibson managed just 33 runs at an average of 4.71 in last year’s Hundred and was unable to bowl after suffering a back stress fracture earlier in the year.
Gibson hasn’t played for England since their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in October 2024, but she did feature as a batter for Melbourne Stars in the most recent edition of the WBBL, scoring 170 runs at an average of 18.88 and a strike rate of 139.34.
With the bidding opening at £50,000 for Gibson on Wednesday with Southern Brave, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and Welsh Fire all expressed intense interest before Sunrisers eventually secured her for £50,000 more than the highest-paid pre-auction signings (Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt, who were retained at Southern Brave and Trent Rockets for £140,000 each).
Anya Shrubsole, the former England bowler now Southern Brave Women’s assistant coach, was excited by the prospect of working with Wong.
“She is a high quality bowler,” Shrubsole told Sky Sports. “She’s one of the best bowlers in England, especially on her day. Don’t forget she wacks it down the order as well, so the prospect of her and Belly opening the bowling is pretty exciting. And then we’ve got three world-class spinners there so we’re really pleased with where we’re at for a few more signings to go.”
Southern Brave were the most active franchise in the early rounds of bidding, also securing Sophie Molineux, the left-arm spinning allrounder and new Australia captain, for £47,500 and England legspinner Sarah Glenn for £75,000.
England left-arm spinner Linsey Smith was sold to Birmingham Phoenix for £100,000, while MI London took West Indies allrounder Chinelle Henry for £70,000 and London Spirit picked up the big-hitting Deandra Dottin for £37,5000.
Paige Scholfield enjoyed a pay rise after she had been retained by Oval Invincibles, now MI London, last season in the top salary bracket of £65,000. She was picked up for £115,000 by MSG, where she will join an impressive batting line-up spearheaded by Meg Lanning, the former Australia captain now leading her franchise, and India’s Smriti Mandhana.
Em Arlott, a seam bowler capable of hitting big runs down the order who made her England debut at the age of 27 last year, will play for Welsh Fire after attracting a £110,000 bid from them.
Charis Pavely, the 21-year-old who allrounder who has represented England twice in T20s, against Ireland in 2024 as the top-tier squad prepared for the World Cup, found herself in the middle of a scrap betwen Welsh Fire, Birminghamp Phoenix, London Spirit and Trent Rockets, the latter two ultimately driving her price up from £37,500 to £85,000. Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kira Chathli, 26, went to MI London for £80,000 in a similar tussle.
South Africa batters Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus went unsold, as did allrounder Chloe Tryon and former international team-mate, fast bowler Shabnim Ismail.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
