The Hundred: Who were the big winners from the draft at Sky Studios?

The eight squads are in - but who won The Hundred draft?

That is the question we asked Sky Sports Cricket's Rob Key in the wake of the star-studded show at Sky Studios.

There is plenty of time to reflect before the new competition gets underway in July 2020 so make sure you send us your thoughts…

THE HUNDRED DRAFT: WHO WENT WHERE

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So come on Keysie, who won the draft?

Rob Key: "That's a tough one as there are some very good squads. I like the look of Southern Brave - they've got plenty of pace and talent with the likes of Tymal Mills, Jofra Archer and Andre Russell - but I'm going for London Spirit. Eoin Morgan said head coach Shane Warne 'nailed it' and he's not far off. There's strength in every area."

Who were the big individual winners?

RK: "You've got to mention Dane Vilas, who went in with no reserve price. Manchester Originals head coach Simon Katich has put his faith firmly in him - putting him in the £125k bracket. That was something no-one would have predicted, I reckon.

Somerset's Tom Abell, who also had no reserve, has done very well too to be picked up for £100k for the Originals. I expected Ravi Bopara and Sam Billings to go around the £100k mark and so it proved."

Who was the most surprising omission?

RK: "I didn't think Chris Gayle would go, to be honest. I thought Sam Northeast might have got a gig but don't forget there's still an opportunity for eight players to be picked next summer in the wildcard draw. Of the players who did get picked, I thought Dawid Malan might have gone for more than £40k."

Tell me one big takeaway from the draft…

RK: "I'm really pleased that some of the younger players are getting the chance to work with coaches of the calibre of Shane Warne and Gary Kirsten. So many cricketers are going to benefit from learning from those coaches and the high-quality of players around them."

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What was it like working on the draft?

RK: "It was a real step into the unknown; I had an easy job, to be fair, interviewing in the cafe and then popping into the studio. I thought Ian Ward did brilliantly. As a presenter I can't think of anyone better - and that goes for entertainment TV as well. People probably won't understand just how fiddly it is to do that job live for the first time after just two rehearsals."

Has it whetted your appetite for next summer?

RK: "The players make this competition and seeing the teams come together was fascinating. There are some very good sides there, and that was always going to be the most important thing. It was great to see the players so excited about their teams and the fans should be too. This competition is something to rival anything in the world."

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