Australia’s gun wicketkeeper batter Beth Mooney was the most sought after commodity at the inaugural auction for English cricket’s women’s Hundred on Wednesday, receiving a £210,000 ($394,054) payday.

Mooney topped the bidding alongside New Zealand’s veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine, who will play for the Welsh Fire, with the Trent Rockets securing the Australian’s services.

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The Manchester Super Giants went toe-to-toe with the Rockets in a bidding war for the Women’s Big Bash League’s top run scorer.

But Mooney will be calling Trent Bridge, not Old Trafford, home this July and August.

Mooney’s payday is a significant increase on the previous top wage of £65,000.

While it is 14 times higher than the top wage of £15,000 when the tournament began in 2021.

It also means that the top wages have overtaken the WBBL and are similar to the Women’s Premier League in India.

Many of Mooney’s national teammates were highly sought after.

Sunrisers Leeds spent big on Australians with Annabel Sutherland (£130,000/$243,938), Phoebe Litchfield (£120,000/$225,174) and Jess Jonassen (£110,000/$206,409) all snapped up by the Headingley-based franchise.

Ash Gardner (£100,000/$187,645) will join Mooney at the Trent Rockets, while Ellyse Perry (£100,000/$187,645) and Georgia Wareham (£100,000/$187,645) also commanded a six-figure salary.

Perry was bought by the Birmingham Phoenix and Wareham sold to the Welsh Fire.

Meg Lanning (£95,000/$178,262) and Nicola Carey (£95,000/$178,262) earned impressive paydays from the Manchester Super Giants and MI London respectively.

New Australian captain Sophie Molineux (£47,500/$89,131) was bought by the Southern Brave.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Dani Gibson went for £190,000 ($356,525) to Sunrisers Leeds to become the highest-paid Englishwoman.

South Africa all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who starred at the recent 50-over World Cup, went to London Spirit for £170,000 ($318,996).

The Hundred has changed the way teams pick players this year. In the first auction of its kind in a major British sport, held in London, spending on women players skyrocketed.

Stakes in the eight city-based franchises — which all have men’s and women’s teams — were sold last year to private investors, raising huge sums for cricket in England and Wales.

Four of the franchises — Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds, MI London and Southern Brave — are at least part-owned by companies that control Indian Premier League teams.

Women’s teams each have £880,000 available to fill their squads while men’s sides have a budget of £2.05 million. Their auction takes place on Thursday.

The 2026 edition of the Hundred starts on July 21 and runs for four weeks.

AUSSIES IN THE HUNDRED

Birmingham Phoenix

Ellyse Perry (£100,000)

Alana King (£37,500)

Lucy Hamilton (£35,000)

London Spirit

Grace Harris (£70,000)

Manchester Super Giants

Meg Lanning (£95,000)

Maitlan Brown (£40,000)

MI London

Nicola Carey (£95,000)

Southern Brave

Sophie Molineux (£47,500)

Sunrisers Leeds

Annabel Sutherland (£130,000)

Phoebe Litchfield (£120,000)

Jess Jonassen (£110,000)

Trent Rockets

Beth Mooney (£210,000)

Ash Gardner (£100,000)

Kim Garth (£42,000)

Welsh Fire

Georgia Wareham (£100,000)

Georgia Voll (£80,000)