All eyes will be fixed on The Hundred draft on Thursday with Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis hoping to secure massive deals in the UK tournament.

There are 63 contracts up for grabs in the first televised draft since the inaugural event in 2019, with 30 available in the men’s competition and 33 in the women’s tournament.

There is a wealth of imported talent to choose from in the men’s section with Australian left-arm paceman Starc a surprise entrant given the likelihood of his heavy involvement in the preceding Ashes series.

Starc joins compatriots Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis in registering at the maximum base price, alongside Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and West Indian Kieron Pollard.

Availability is set to be a big factor in who gets taken on with New Zealand’s clear August schedule increasing the potential value of picks such as Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway and Michael Bracewell.

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Having finished bottom during a winless 2022 campaign, Welsh Fire have appointed Mike Hussey to turn around their fortunes.

The West Australian has been afforded plenty of leeway to rebuild the squad, with eight vacancies including two at the maximum £125,000 bracket ($229,000) and one at £100,000 ($183,000).

In the women’s draft, Indian duo Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have come in at the maximum base price, as well as New Zealand’s Sophie Devine.