3 Indian men's players who would have fetched a lot of attention in The Hundred Draft
The men's and women's players' draft for the third edition of The Hundred took place on Thursday, March 23, with the eight teams bolstering their rosters for the tournament that is set to commence on August 1.
The likes of Mitchell Marsh (London Spirit), Heinrich Klaasen (Northern Superchargers), Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf (both Welsh Fire) were the top-draw overseas acquisitions in the men's draft.
As for the women, Dane van Niekerk, Suzie Bates (both Oval Invicibles), Harmanpreet Kaur (Trent Rockets), Grace Harris (London Spirit), and Sophie Devine (Birmingham Phoenix) were the biggest draws.
The Hundred men's squad list after #TheHundredDraft, Powered by @sageuk 
👀 The Hundred men's squad list after #TheHundredDraft, Powered by @sageuk
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Aside from Indian captain Harmanpreet, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana will also play The Hundred, having been retained by Southern Brave prior to the player draft.
Robin Uthappa, who retired from all forms of professional cricket in India last year, was part of the draft in the men's draw but did not find any takers. One can only imagine what the demand for current Indian internationals would have been like in the men's draw.
We pick three players here who would have fetched deals in the tournament had they been available.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav, the world's top-ranked T20I batter, is arguably the best in the business today in the format.
His complete range of shots all around the park and ability to manipulate the field ridiculously well would have made him a smashing hit at The Hundred.
Mind you, this is not just because he is a box office batter, but also down to the fact that the format plays into his hands.
Had he been available for The Hundred Draft, there is no denying that he would have been highly sought after and perhaps emerged as one of the first picks.
#2 Hardik Pandya
Another obvious choice owing to his all-round exploits, Hardik Pandya would certainly have been a hot favorite to bag a gig at The Hundred.
There aren't too many players on the planet who offer multiple skill sets of the same quality while being able to take the game away within a heartbeat. His leadership qualities would have also been keenly looked at.
Hardik has had success playing the shorter formats in England and in a parallel world, would have walked into any of the eight teams in The Hundred Draft.
#3 Arshdeep Singh
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Fast bowlers who can fire yorkers at will are worth their weight in gold. If that fast bowler is also a left-arm swing exponent, he's certainly an invaluable commodity.
Much like Shaheen Shah Afridi commanded attention from Welsh Fire, India's Arshdeep Singh would have arguably fetched similar demand at The Hundred Draft had he been available.
He is undoubtedly the best death-overs bowler in T20 cricket in India after Jasprit Bumrah and has made a fine start to his international career.
Arshdeep very recently bagged a deal with Kent to play a few County Championship matches in June, clearly indicating that those in English cricketing circles are well aware of the skill he brings.
The sight of Arshdeep honing in those yorkers at The Hundred could well have been a formality had he been available to participate in the competition.
Which other Indian player do you think would have fetched attention at The Hundred Draft? Let us know in the comments section below!
Also read: 3 Legends Cricket Trophy players who you didn't know were part of the IPL