Tammy Beaumont, Ollie Pope, David Payne and Hayley Matthews are amongst those who will return to Cardiff, as Welsh Fire are welcomed back to Sophia Gardens this summer for the third year of The Hundred competition.

The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side: Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix.

Each team feature some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners.

Among the stars confirmed to be returning to Welsh Fire on Deadline Day, West Indies captain and all-rounder Hayley Matthews and Gloucestershire and England bowler David Payne will both be back for their third season with Welsh Fire.

England batter Tammy Beaumont will return to captain for her second season in Wales and she’ll once again be joined by talented Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland.

George Scrimshaw, last year’s Vitality Wildcard pick for the men’s team, has also been retained for the upcoming season, along with England and Surrey star Ollie Pope and Nottinghamshire batter Joe Clarke. Jonny Bairstow is also back at Sophia Gardens as his team’s England Men’s Centrally Contracted player.

Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Smriti Mandhana and Glenn Maxwell are among the list of players who have been retained by other teams in The Hundred.

The Hundred draft will take place on Thursday 23^rd March and will be televised on Sky Sports. Which will feature the first draft in the women’s competition, alongside two Vitality Wildcard picks in the men’s competition.

Across both competitions, 114 players have been retained in total, meaning 134 spots remain to be filled at The Hundred Draft powered by Sage, and across the open market process in the women’s competition.

Teams in the men’s competition are able to retain 10 players, and women’s teams can retain four of their players. Six men’s sides have retained all 10, while Welsh Fire – under the new leadership of Australian great Mike Hussey – will have eight places to fill at The Draft, at which they’ll have the first pick.

The women’s competition will be hosting a draft for the first time, with Tammy Beaumont’s Welsh Fire the first side to pick. The likes of Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt and Kate Cross, as well as a host of international players, will be up for grabs. The final list for The Hundred Draft powered by Sage is due to be confirmed on February 28.

The Hundred will kick off its third year at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August with a Trent Rockets v Southern Brave double-header the first of 68 games that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.

More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.

There will be an initial, exclusive window to purchase tickets from 15-28 March for anyone who has previously bought tickets for The Hundred. Those yet to attend can sign up in advance at thehundred.com for priority ticket access from 5–18 April. Tickets will then go on general sale on Thursday 20 April. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.

England Women’s opener and Welsh Fire captain Tammy Beaumont, said:

‘’I’m so excited to be back as captain of Welsh Fire for The Hundred. The energy and support from the Welsh fans last year was amazing, and I can’t wait to experience it again. It’s such an exciting time for us with the women’s draft just around the corner. We’re on the lookout for some seriously talented players to join our team, and I can’t wait to see who we can bring on board to help us compete this August.’’

Gloucestershire and England bowler David Payne commented:

‘’I’m delighted to be retained by Welsh Fire for 2023 for my third season in Cardiff. The last two campaigns obviously haven’t been easy, but I’m excited about starting fresh in 2023. It’ll be great to see a few familiar faces from our retentions, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how we can build our squad during the draft in March. We need to get off to a good start so we need to make sure we have the right mix of talent and experience to take us to the next level.’’

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.