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When Jamie Overton reported to Lord’s past Friday for nan commencement of nan caller Hundred season, he knowledgeable thing that, moreover successful nan often head-spinning world of franchise cricket, was extraordinary, perchance unique. Returning to a squad he played for successful 2025, he would person looked astir nan dressing room and seen nary of his erstwhile teammates. He is nan only subsister of nan men’s squad from past year, portion of a squad that will beryllium led by a caller caput coach, assisted by caller coaches for batting, fielding, rotation and gait bowling.
“It decidedly does consciousness for illustration a different title this year, because each squad is efficaciously different,” he says. “Oval Invincibles were nan champion broadside complete nan past 3 aliases 4 years, but that’s dispersed retired a small spot now and each broadside you look astatine them and go: ‘Oh yeah, they’ve sewage a bully team.’
“It’s going to beryllium a reliable competition, and I’m going to beryllium biased, but I’m backing this squad. We’ve sewage a batch of firepower, a batch of wicket-taking imaginable and we’ve sewage a hellhole of a batch of experience. We’ve conscionable sewage to spell retired and execute well.”
The Spirit women’s squad is doubly arsenic settled, successful that among nan playing group they person 2 veterans of 2025: Charlie Dean, who has taken complete arsenic imperishable skipper having stood successful for nan injured Heather Knight (now nan wide manager) successful 2025; and Grace Harris. “It’s a small spot weird, but it’s not that bad,” Harris says.
“It’s only bad if you miss friends. I really enjoyed playing pinch Sarah Glenn [now astatine Southern Brave] and pinch Danny Gibson [now captaining Sunrisers Leeds]. I enjoyed playing pinch a fewer of nan London Spirit girls that were astir past season, but it’s not for illustration they’ve wholly gone missing. They’re going to beryllium playing for different teams truthful we’ll still spot them around.”
London Spirit are not 1 of nan 3 Hundred sides who travel into this play pinch a caller name, but they do person a caller logo, a caller sponsor and a caller kit made by a caller kit producer. They person comparatively caller co-owners successful nan Tech Titans, nan consortium of entrepreneurs who paid £144m for a 49% stake, a woody announced successful January 2025 and completed past July, making them nan competition’s astir valuable franchise.
Andy Flower, nan caller men’s coach, says they will bring “renewed power and possibly a spot of pizzazz”, and besides caller ambitions: nan women’s squad has reached (and won) 1 of nan 5 erstwhile finals, but nan men person travel past aliases second-last successful 4 years retired of 5 and ne'er been successful nan apical two.
There is nary reason, though, for them to beryllium defined by results obtained by different group successful a different era and Flower has won nan Hundred, pinch Trent Rockets successful 2022, arsenic good arsenic nan past 2 Indian Premier League titles pinch Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He summarises his role, now that nan squad has been assembled, arsenic “looking to get group emotion arsenic assured and clear arsenic imaginable … to make them consciousness assured and clear and free to spell and make decisions for themselves”.
As a young subordinate Overton worked pinch Flower erstwhile he was Lions coach and nan brace reunited much precocious astatine Gulf Giants successful nan ILT20. “I’ve known him rather a agelong clip and I cognize really he works,” Overton says.
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“He’s very different now than he was, but franchise cricket is very different to younger players trying to play for England. You’re connected a travel successful that shape of your life, whereas successful franchise cricket you astir apt cognize wherever you want to be.
“He’s developed, for illustration each bully group do. But he’s very nonstop successful really he wants to play nan game. He’ll do each nan 1 percenters, find nan mini margins.”
The women’s squad is besides being led for nan first clip by a erstwhile England coach successful Jon Lewis and will get their play nether measurement against Manchester SuperGiants connected Thursday afternoon, pinch nan men’s teams gathering successful nan evening. “Since it’s been privatised there’s a spot much of a buzz, conscionable astir what changes mightiness happen,” Harris says. “But we can’t beryllium immoderate much master than what it’s been complete nan past 3 seasonsI’ve been involved.
“If there’s much money successful nan crippled possibly they salary for an crystal bath now aliases we get amended entree to off-field accommodation aliases much clothing to wear. Our squad room’s been done up rather good astatine nan hotel, truthful that’s bully fun. But I don’t deliberation your on-field expectations should alteration that much.
“You tin only do truthful overmuch arsenic a quality being. You tin effort harder, but if you haven’t been trying up until that constituent past wherever person you been?”
Entertainment betwixt nan games astatine Lord’s connected Thursday will beryllium provided by Tinie Tempah and if rap will ne'er not consciousness incongruous astatine nan location of cricket his astir caller floor plan single, 2020’s Top Winners, sounds beautiful apposite. “It’s astir a winners’ mindset and mentality, astir striving to execute much and continuing to do amended for yourself,” he says. But then, ambition is nan easy bit. Top Winners peaked astatine No 64.
