The Hundred Draft will be live on Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Sky One from 7pm on Sunday
Sunday 20 October 2019 13:24, UK
Who goes where?
That question will be answered on Sunday night when international stars and domestic players alike learn where - and indeed if - they will be playing in The Hundred next summer.
England Test players plus local icons have already been allocated, meaning franchises are well-stocked in some areas but short in others.
With that in mind, we examine what each side will look to do in the early rounds…
Already allocated: Joe Root (batsman), Alex Hales (opener), Harry Gurney (left-arm seamer)
Immediate needs: Fast bowler, batting depth, spinner
The Rockets could literally go in any direction with the No 1 overall pick. Their three-player haul thus far is the nicely-balanced trio of Root, Hales and Gurney.
Of the six players available with the highest reserve price set of £125,000, you'd imagine that Kagiso Rabada, David Warner and Chris Gayle are at the top of their wish list.
Will they add the searing pace of Rabada to their bowling ranks? Or will they look to partner the explosive hitting of Warner or Gayle with Hales at the top of the order?
Or will they spring a draft-day surprise and opt for any number of lesser-priced superstars, such as Andre Russell, Rashid Khan or Kane Williamson with the first pick?
Already allocated: Jofra Archer (fast bowler), Chris Jordan (fast bowler), James Vince (opener)
Immediate needs: Batting depth, all-rounder, spinner
The Brave have the blistering speed of Barbados-born double-act Archer and Jordan in their bowling attack and so strengthening the batting will surely be their first port of call on Sunday.
You'd imagine Gayle would be the pick, adding to the Caribbean flair that will be on show on the sunshine south coast next summer, but they would also gladly accept Warner if it was him who fell in their lap.
Again, much like the Rockets, they could spring a surprise by snapping up Russell or Rashid early, the latter having enjoyed a terrific two-year T20 spell a little way east down the coast with Sussex.
Alternatively, they could look to kill two birds with one stone and fill their all-rounder and spinner needs with Shakib Al Hasan later in the draft.
Already allocated: Ben Stokes (all-rounder), Adil Rashid (spinner), David Willey (left-arm seamer)
Immediate needs: Opener, fast bowler, wicketkeeper
You can never have too many all-rounders in your team but, having already signed Stokes, at the expense of local Yorkshire lads Root and Jonny Bairstow, you'd imagine the Supercharges will address other areas of the team initially.
Again, both Gayle or Warner would likely be gladly welcomed should one be available. But the Superchargers might prefer Rabada to fall to them - and then look to pair him with fellow Protea Quinton de Kock in a latter round.
De Kock would not only then fill that opener need of theirs, but also address the wicketkeeper vacancy in the squad.
Rashid's presence on the team means the Superchargers don't need to add a spinner until looking for some depth at the position in latter rounds, while Willey ticks the 'left-arm variation' box and is also an opening option.
Already allocated: Jonny Bairstow (opener), Tom Banton (opener), Colin Ingram (batsman)
Immediate needs: Fast-bowler, all-rounder, spinner
The Fire are already top-heavy at the top of the order and we haven't even got to the draft yet!
Bairstow and Banton figure to be an explosive opening pair - both can also keep wicket - and Ingram has been a devastating six-hitter in the Blast in recent years, playing on the very same Sophia Gardens surface.
It certainly gives the team clarity of thought on Sunday, with adding to their bowling ranks the first priority; Rabada, Lasith Malinga or Mitchell Starc - if still on the board after the first three picks - surely must be snapped up.
If not, all-rounders Russell or Dwayne Bravo could be options, or left-arm seamers Trent Boult or Mohammad Amir. While there is an argument to pick a spinner, England often play only one when in Cardiff, due to the small boundaries straight, so this need is better addressed in a later round.
Already allocated: Sam Curran (all-rounder), Jason Roy (opener), Tom Curran (seam bowler)
Immediate needs: Batting depth, spinner, wicketkeeper
Now is where it starts getting tricky. Who of the six players with the highest reserve price of £125,000 will still be available when we get to the Invincibles and the No 5 pick?
Could one be Steve Smith? A slightly less attractive T20 prospect, but arguably the world's best Test batsman, who has seemingly won over the English crowds who booed him for so much of the summer.
Smith was given an ovation at The Oval after his 774 Ashes runs at a staggering 110.57 average, and it's certainly possible he could be calling the place his home next year.
Smith would slot in nicely at No 3 after the explosive hitting of Roy at the top of the order and could even be a controversial option as captain. If the Invincibles look elsewhere, expect the familiar names of Russell, Rashid, Williamson or De Kock to feature in the team's conversation.
Already allocated: Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper-batsman), Saqib Mahmood (fast bowler), Matt Parkinson (spinner)
Immediate needs: Opener, all-rounder, batting depth
The Originals have arguably the best T20 batsman of the modern era in their ranks in Buttler.
But with England Test players set to feature in only three group games in The Hundred, and Mahmood and Parkinson only just setting out in their fledgling international careers, the Old Trafford side could do with some star power to sell tickets around.
The first place they'll likely look for that is in the batting department, so whoever of Gayle, Warner, Smith, Russell, De Kock or Williamson is still available with the No 6 pick, expect Manchester to swiftly snap them up.
Alternatively, they could look to Australia and Glenn Maxwell or Aaron Finch - both of whom have impressed at Old Trafford before, Maxwell for Lancashire and Finch against them for Yorkshire. An even bigger wildcard shout could be the evergreen Shane Watson, a perennial T20 winner.
Already allocated: Rory Burns (batsman), Eoin Morgan (batsman/captain), Dan Lawrence (batsman)
Immediate needs: All-rounder, spinner, opener
The Spirit have three batsmen in their squad already, as well as an obvious choice for captain in England's World Cup-winning skipper Morgan.
Morgan gave a hint as to how he'd look to build a white-ball team when previously covering the IPL for Sky Sports, saying: "All-rounders are key for winning the IPL. That's where I would start." If that is indeed where he'd start, look for Russell or Bravo to line-up at Lord's.
Alternatively, it could be spin that Spirit identify early on, with Morgan adding: "The trend at the moment is around spinners, specifically leg-spinners - look at the T20 rankings of top 10 bowlers, it's full of mystery spinners."
Rashid and Sunil Narine were both selections in Morgan's dream IPL XI, so could be early picks, as could Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who impressed at Lord's earlier this summer in the Vitality Blast.
Already allocated: Chris Woakes (all-rounder), Moeen Ali (spinner/all-rounder), Pat Brown (seam bowler)
Immediate needs: Opener, all-rounder, wicketkeeper
Moeen's selection to join the England-contracted Woakes means Birmingham start the draft somewhat on the back-foot.
Moeen's pick means the Phoenix forego one of their first-round draft picks - the Invincibles and Spirit suffer the same fate because of Roy and Morgan, respectively - but Birmingham have the added blow of picking last of the eight sides.
By their No 8 pick a lot of the big names will already be off the board, though that's not to say there won't be some gems available to them. De Kock is one who could cover both their search for an explosive opener at the top of the order and a wicketkeeper.
Also, an all-rounder and/or spinner will be high on their agenda with the worry that Moeen could be back as a permanent figure of that England team by next summer, so West Indian trio Russell, Bravo and Narine - who can all be explosive with the bat, too - could be options.
The Hundred Draft - Live will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Sky One from 7pm on Sunday. It will also be available via Sky Sports' Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as live on the Sky Sports app and streamed on skysports.com.
