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England Test captain Ben Stokes is set to miss this summer’s Hundred to focus on his fitness for the Ashes in Australia at the end of the year.
Stokes, 33, has not been retained by Northern Superchargers as the teams announced their new signings and initial squad lists for the 2025 tournament.
The all-rounder tore his left hamstring during England’s tour of New Zealand in December having only just recovered from the same injury that he suffered playing for Superchargers in August.
The injury required surgery and he was ruled out for at least three months.
England’s next Test is not until they face Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May, but Durham’s Stokes is aiming to be fit for the beginning of the County Championship season in April.
The Hundred begins on 5 August, just one day after England’s five-Test series against India finishes, and the Ashes start in Perth on 21 November.
The deadline day signings announced on Tuesday include Australia batter Steve Smith joining Welsh Fire.
Smith was initially signed by the Cardiff-based franchise for the planned first year of The Hundred before it was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
It is the first year that teams have been able to sign one men’s and one women’s player directly via private negotiations, rather than having to sign players through The Hundred draft.
There are 68 remaining spaces across all teams, which will be filled via the draft on 12 March, while there will be a wildcard draft in May where teams can sign in-form players from the domestic circuit.
Smith will be joined at Fire by Jonny Bairstow, who has been retained, while fellow Australian Marcus Stoinis has been picked up by Trent Rockets.
Former Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning has joined two-time winners Oval Invincibles and seamer Megan Schutt will play for Birmingham Phoenix.
Invincibles have signed Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, former New Zealand quick Trent Boult has joined Phoenix, while South Africa batters David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen have been picked up by Superchargers and Manchester Originals respectively.
Australia leg-spinner Alana King and all-rounder Ash Gardner have been retained by Rockets with England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, while Fire have retained Tammy Beaumont and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews.
Invincibles won the men’s Hundred for the second year running in 2024 and Spirit won the women’s competition.
The England and Wales Cricket Board recently oversaw the sales of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises, with the teams achieving a collective value of over £975m, bringing in around £520m to be split across the game in this country.
