Deepti Sharma set to skip women’s Hundred as she aims to manage her workload, leaving tournament with no Indian players.
In order to manage her schedule, Deepti Sharma withdrew from the 2025 season after winning London Spirit’s first Hundred title with a straight six in the final at Lord’s last year.
The Indian all-rounder, Deepti, is currently in England as part of India’s tour. He has a hectic schedule lately, juggling franchise leagues and international obligations. In order to afford herself a brief respite, she has chosen to terminate her £36,000 contract in advance of the 50-over World Cup on home soil later this year.
The Australian all-rounder Charli Knott has taken her position, and Spirit’s team will look very different this year. Meg Lanning has been replaced by Grace Harris, Chris Liddle has replaced Ashley Noffke as head coach, and Charlie Dean will fill in as captain in lieu of Heather Knight, who is injured.
There are no Indian players under contract in the Hundred this year as a result of Deepti’s withdrawal. Active men’s players are not granted No-Objection Certificates by the BCCI to participate in foreign leagues, and women’s players who have participated in the past were either undrafted or unavailable because of workload issues.
Next week, each Hundred team will bolster their roster with four “wildcard” players—two men’s and two women’s—based on their T20 Blast performances. Derbyshire seamer Harry Moore, who suffered a back stress fracture, has been replaced by Nottinghamshire’s Freddie McCann for the Birmingham Phoenix ahead of the wildcard draft.
Prior to the 2026 edition, the ECB will transfer operational authority for the eight teams to their host counties and new private investors during the Hundred, which will take place from August 5–31.