The Hundred: Harmanpreet to play for Manchester Originals, Smriti to represent Southern Brave

By Vishesh Roy India's T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and deputy Smriti Mandhana will be representing Manchester Originals and Southern Brave respectively in the upcoming edition of The Hundred.

Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments confirmed the franchises that Harmanpreet and Smriti would be plying their trade for in the opening season of the league. "The NOC has already been given to both Harmanpreet and Smriti. Harmanpreet will represent Manchester Originals while Smriti will play for Southern Brave in the inaugural edition of the competition," the source said.

Earlier on Monday, sources also confirmed that teen sensation Shafali Verma is the fifth Indian player who has been handed a NOC by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for The Hundred. The swashbuckling opener will play for Birmingham Phoenix. "It is delightful news not just for Shafali but for Indian women's cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will reunite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has already been a very positive road forward for the youngster," the source told ANI.

Apart from Shafali, Smriti, and Harmanpreet, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues are the other two players who have also been given the NOC to play in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The Hundred, which is an ECB brainchild, will feature eight teams taking on each other. The first match in the competition will be played between the women's teams of Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals on July 21.

With the BCCI granting NOCs, the stay of the Indian women players will be extended in the UK as the national team is scheduled to play one Test, three ODIs, and as many T20Is in June-July this year. Harmanpreet, Smriti, Jemimah, and Deepti were the Indian players who had played in the now-defunct Kia Super League (KSL), ECB's domestic T20 tournament. The inaugural season of The Hundred was set to be played last year, but it got postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket competition that will see prominent players (both men and women) featuring in the tournament later this year in the English summer.