Smith & Warner among most expensive players in The Hundred

Steve Smith and David Warner are among the most expensive players listed in the main men’s draft for The Hundred.

The batsmen, who helped Australia retain the Ashes earlier this year, carry the top £125,000 reserve price.

Fellow Australian Mitchell Starc, West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga and South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada will also cost £125,000.

The draft will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website from 19:00 BST on Sunday, with live text commentary.

The inaugural 100-ball competition, which will be contested by eight city-based teams, takes place next summer from 17 July to 16 August.

There will be live TV coverage on the BBC of 10 men’s matches from The Hundred as well as eight games from the women’s competition, with both finals broadcast live.

The eight franchises have already filled three positions in their squad – one centrally contracted England Test player and two “local icons” apiece – and will choose another 12 each during Sunday’s televised draft.

A total of 570 players will be in the men’s draft, including 239 overseas players and 331 domestic players.

Players are able to set a reserve price for their services, with each team having two spaces in their squad in each of the following pay brackets: £125,000, £100,000, £75,000, £60,000, £50,000, £40,000 and £30,000.

Captains receive a bonus of £10,000, but if a player’s reserve price is not met, they will not be selected during the main draft.

After the six overseas players listed at £125,000, there are 17 with reserve prices of £100,000, 13 at £75,000, 15 at £60,000, 21 at £50,000, 46 at £40,000 and the rest with no reserve price.

The highest reserve price for domestic players is £60,000 – with World Cup-winning pace bowler Mark Wood in the top bracket along with fellow England internationals Joe Denly, Liam Livingstone and Samit Patel.

There are seven domestic players with reserve prices of £50,000, and eight at £40,000 – the remainder having no reserve price.

The “domestic” player lists feature a number of overseas internationals who appear as non-overseas players in county cricket (including those who play under the Kolpak ruling) – such as Surrey’s former South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel (£50,000).

Head coaches will have 100 seconds to make each selection, recruiting two names per round until the rosters are complete. The order of the day’s first picks has already been set, with Nottingham-based Trent Rockets getting first choice and Birmingham Phoenix up last.

There is no draft for the women’s competition, but each side has already selected two centrally contracted female England players.

Between now and 30 May, teams will fill the remaining 13 places in their women’s squads – they are permitted to sign one more contracted England player and a maximum of three overseas players, with the rest of the squad made up of domestic players.

The women’s seven salary brackets are: £15,000, £12,000, £9,000, £7,200, £6,000, £4,800 and £3,600. Captains receive a £1,200 bonus.

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