Who will sign Andre Russell? A team-by-team guide to Monday’s draft for the 2022 season
Matt Roller04-Apr-2022How the squads stack up before the draft•ECB/The HundredLondon SpiritRetained: Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan (£100k), Mason Crane, Dan Lawrence (£60k), Adam Rossington, Ravi Bopara (£40k), Blake Cullen, Brad Wheal (£30k), Zak Crawley, Mark Wood (England Test contracts)
Draft picks: Picks 1 and 11 (£125k), Picks 15 and 21 (£75k), Picks 27 and 33 (£50k)London Spirit will pick first after finishing bottom in 2021•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: Plenty. Spirit have overhauled their 2021 squad after finishing bottom and have room for manoeuvre with two £125k picks, including the first one of the draft. Their retentions include several middle-order batters but there is room in the squad for another opener, at least one more spinner and a quality fast bowler. Trevor Bayliss, their incoming coach, was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad management team which controversially axed David Warner as captain last year but could still bring him in.
Potential first-round pick: David WarnerWelsh FireRetained: Ben Duckett (£100k), Jake Ball (£75k), David Payne (£60k), Leus du Plooy (£50k), Ryan Higgins, Matt Critchley (£40k), Josh Cobb (£30k), Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope (England Test contracts)
Draft picks: Picks 2 and 10 (£125k), Pick 12 (£100k), Pick 16 (£75k), Pick 22 (£60k), Pick 28 (£50k), Pick 37 (£30k)Joe Clarke could be the first domestic player picked•PA Photos/Getty ImagesGaps to fill: The most. Fire will sign seven players at the draft, more than any other team, and several of their retentions are squad players rather than guaranteed starters. Ben Duckett has excelled at No. 3 but they will look to recruit a new opening pair (Jonny Bairstow appears likely to be on Test duty for most of the tournament) and could fill overseas spots with a versatile fast bowler and a wristspinner. With four of the first sixteen picks, don’t be surprised if they use an early one to sign a leading domestic player like Joe Clarke, Liam Dawson or Laurie Evans. They may also target a captaincy option like Luke Wright or Daniel Bell-Drummond; Duckett filled in for Bairstow last year but was not a natural fit.
Potential first-round pick: Joe ClarkeManchester OriginalsRetained: Phil Salt (£100k), Matt Parkinson (£75k), Jamie Overton (£60k), Tom Hartley, Tom Lammonby (£50k), Colin Ackermann, Wayne Madsen (£40k), Fred Klaassen, Calvin Harrison (£30k), Jos Buttler, Ollie Robinson (England Test contracts)
Draft picks: Picks 3 and 9 (£125k), Pick 13 (£100k), Pick 17 (£75k), Pick 23 (£60k)Jos Buttler is likely to be available throughout the season in 2022•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: Star quality. Originals have made several canny retentions in the low rounds but have three free overseas spots and should be able to secure two leading domestic players, with five picks in the first 23. With Jos Buttler likely to be available throughout after he was dropped for the Test squad, he is set to open with Phil Salt, meaning the main holes are middle-order batters and quality fast bowlers. They went spin-heavy last year to exploit home advantage at Emirates Old Trafford but two of their four home games were washed out and they already have three domestic spinners in the squad.
Potential first-round pick: Andre RussellNorthern SuperchargersRetained: Adil Rashid (£125k), David Willey, Faf du Plessis (£100k), Harry Brook (£75k), Brydon Carse (£60k), Matty Potts, John Simpson (£50k), Adam Lyth (£40k), Callum Parkinson (£30k), Ben Stokes (England Test contract)
Draft picks: Pick 4 (£125k), Pick 18 (£75k), Pick 24 (£60k), Pick 34 (£40k), Pick 38 (£30k)James Foster is the new Superchargers coach•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: A handful. The core of last year’s side has been retained but there are a few obvious spots to fill. David Willey batted at No. 3 last season and Adam Lyth had a disappointing campaign so expect James Foster to go after another opening batter, while there is also one spot for a finisher in the middle order in between John Simpson and Harry Brook. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was released (he is likely to be on international duty for most of the season) so they will look to secure an overseas spinner to complement Adil Rashid. They also struggled bowling at the death, and could try to fill that hole with their first pick.
Potential first-round pick: Dwayne BravoOval InvinciblesRetained: Jason Roy (£125k), Sam Billings, Tom Curran (£100k), Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood (£75k), Reece Topley (£60k), Jordan Cox, Nathan Sowter (£30k), Sam Curran, Rory Burns (England Test contracts)
Draft picks: Pick 5 (£125k), Pick 25 (£60k), Picks 29 and 32 (£50k), Picks 35 and 36 (£40k)Sunil Narine could return to Oval Invincibles•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: Adding depth. Invincibles retained the core of the squad that missed out on play-offs by a point last season – Laurie Evans is the big loss after failing to agree a contract – and are expected to sign Sunil Narine with their top pick, using their RTM card if another team attempts to get him first. Five of their six picks will be at a mid-to-low price point, including two overseas picks: a power-hitting finisher and a second spin-bowling allrounder will be high on the agenda, while the prospect of losing Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood to Test duty means a back-up domestic seamer is a must.
Potential first-round pick: Sunil NarineTrent RocketsRetained: Rashid Khan (£125k), Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory (£100k), Marchant de Lange, Luke Wood (£60k), Samit Patel, Matt Carter (£50k), Steven Mullaney, Sam Cook (£40k), Tom Moores (£30k), Joe Root, Dawid Malan (England Test contracts)
Draft picks: Pick 6 (£125k), Picks 19 and 20 (£75k), Pick 39 (£30k)Rashid Khan will be unavailable for much of the tournament•PA Images/GettyGaps to fill: Not many. Rockets have the joint-fewest picks in the draft with four, and have already signed two of their three overseas players. One of them, Rashid Khan, is expected to miss most of the tournament on international duty so they could use their final overseas spot to secure a top-quality replacement – such as Imran Tahir or Adam Zampa – though they may alternatively look to sign a middle-order batter or another fast bowler. Mick Newell, their director of cricket, has hinted that they will be “more dynamic, more aggressive” with the bat so will bring in at least one explosive top-order option – though Mitchell Marsh was a late withdrawal from the draft.
Potential first-round pick: Tom BantonBirmingham PhoenixRetained: Liam Livingstone (£125k), Moeen Ali (£100k), Adam Milne, Benny Howell (£75k), Tom Abell (£60k), Will Smeed (£50k), Chris Benjamin, Miles Hammond (£40k), Henry Brookes (£30k)
Draft picks: Pick 7 (£125k), Pick 14 (£100k), Pick 26 (£60k), Pick 30 (£50k), Pick 40 (£30k)Liam Livingstone was a top-bracket retention for Phoenix•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: Two key ones. Phoenix retained the core of the squad that topped the group stage last year and the presence of Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali at Nos. 3 and 4 gives them huge flexibility but they need an opening partner for Will Smeed and a frontline spinner with their first two picks. Have prioritised a strong English core so could roll the dice on a domestic batter as a top pick, but more likely to lock in a second overseas player – with a left-handed top-order batter high on the agenda.
Potential first-round pick: Matthew WadeSouthern BraveRetained: Marcus Stoinis (£125k), James Vince, Tymal Mills (£100k), Chris Jordan, George Garton (£75k), Alex Davies, Jake Lintott (£60k), Tim David (£50k), Ross Whiteley, Craig Overton (£40k), Jofra Archer (England Test contract)
Draft picks: Pick 8 (£125k), Pick 31 (£50k),Picks 41 and 42 (£30k)Brave retained the in-demand Tim David for just £50k•Getty ImagesGaps to fill: Very few. Brave are expected to re-sign Quinton de Kock – who will be available for all but the first game – with their first pick and can use their RTM if required. They let Danny Briggs, Liam Dawson and Delray Rawlins leave after the first season so will need to use their £50k pick on a second spinner – preferably one who adds to their batting depth – and will use the final two picks of the draft to sign two back-up players.
Potential first-round pick: Quinton de Kock
