The 8 Hundred teams this week announced their player retentions for 2022, and there were some big differences. Birmingham Phoenix for example retained almost their entire squad, whereas Trent Rockets let go most of theirs. There are also some substantial variations in remaining budgets – Rockets need to find 10 players, but have (on average) just £15,000 to spend per player. In contrast, Welsh Fire have a whopping £21,000 per player to splash the cash on 7 new faces.

On the overseas front, Oval Invincibles and Northern Superchargers retained all 3 of their overseas players, while Rockets and London Spirit will be looking for a full roster of 3 new overseas stars. (There is also going to be a 4th overseas “wildcard” pick to come for each team, but teams will still only be able to field 3 overseas players.)

Only two England players have not been retained – Lauren Winfield-Hill and Tammy Beaumont. Our guess (and it is only a guess) is that both chose not to remain, and already have other deals informally lined-up. (And 7 days quarantine in New Zealand would have been the perfect opportunity to learn the words to all 3 verses of ‘Land of My Fathers’ – in the original Welsh, of course – we’re just sayin’!!)

Deals may also have effectively been already agreed in the case of a number of the other twenty-odd domestic pros who will be changing colours this summer. Assuming all the overseas spots get filled, there are still 36 spots available for them, and some of the other regional players, up for grabs. Bryony Smith and Sophie Luff look like potential Best Buys, with Fran Wilson and Georgia Adams also likely to be snapped up soon, if not already.

It is also not out of the question that some of the ‘released’ players actually end up remaining with the team that has released them. For example, Invincibles need a wicket keeper, and have no overseas picks left (unless they use their wildcard, which would mean one of Kapp, van Niekerk and Ismail sitting on the bench), meaning there aren’t a lot of options, so they could ultimately turn back to Sarah Bryce, who did the job for them last year. (Though in that particular case, Kira Chathli, who finished last season with the gloves for the South East Stars, could equally well be lined-up for the role too.)

As for the overseas stars, almost everyone who’s anyone will be here for the Commonwealth Games, and there are some attractive salaries remaining. Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Beth Mooney, Shafali Verma, Deandra Dottin – it looks likely to be a case of: take your pick, before someone else does!

1. 2021 Finishing Position
2. Average Budget Remaining / Player (£K)
✈ = Overseas

Key Free Agents

England

• Tammy Beaumont
• Lauren Winfield-Hill

Domestic Pros

• Georgia Adams
• Sarah Bryce
• Amy Campbell
• Aylish Cranstone
• Kelly Castle
• Bethan Ellis
• Jo Gardner
• Phoebe Graham
• Jenny Gunn
• Alex Hartley
• Lucy Higham
• Stere Kalis
• Marie Kelly
• Sophie Luff
• Fi Morris
• Rachael Slater
• Bryony Smith
• Fran Wilson
• Nat Wraith