Aussie power hitters Glenn Maxwell, Tim David and Mitch Marsh hit the jackpot following the draft for English cricket's marquee one-day competition, the Hundred.
The trio exceeded the highest bracket price of approx. $230,000, with Marsh and Maxwell being retained by the London Spirit, whereas the 27-year-old David will start the tournament with the Southern Brave.
The most notable Australian omission from the men's competition was Mitchell Starc, who withdrew just before the draft when he had been picked to fill one of the top price bracket openings.
With men clinching the highest bracket, women cricketers are not far behind, with Alyssa Healy retained by the Northern Super Chargers and Grace Harris breaking her place into the London Spirit's squad, finishing up the first-ever women's draft in UK sport with $57,000.
Australian women's all-rounder Elysee Perry, currently featuring in the Women's Premier League, was seen in high demand in the draft and bought in by Birmingham Phoenix for the second-highest bracket of $46,000.
Although several of the top women's players for the green and gold withdrew, including Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, and national captain Meg Lanning, the desire to acquire Australian talent was still evident, as made by the Southern Brave's signing of Maitlan Brown, an uncapped player.
The top-earning Australian women, Healy and Harris, are presently teammates at WPL squad UP Warriorz and are preparing for Friday's semi-final eliminator. Both players have been on fire recently.
Queenslander Harris, whose sister Laura will play for Welsh Fire, said she was eager to join the Spirit team after being selected No. 2 overall in the draft.
"It's such a special venue to play at, and I'm incredibly excited to play in front of some big crowds there," she said.
"It's nice to be a part of history by being the second pick in The Hundred draft, but when you look at the squads, they're all so strong - it's going to be a great competition."
