Eight 'marquee' signings confirmed for The Hundred

Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Rachael Haynes, Elyse Villani, Jess Jonassen, Mignon du Preez, Georgia Elwiss and Alice Davidson-Richards were announced as the eight new 'marquee' signings for The Hundred - women's competition on Tuesday (November 19). Dottin and Taylor become the first West Indians to sign for the competition that is yet to see any Indian participants.

Haynes, Villani and Jonassen add to an already robust Australian presence - among players and staff - while du Preez has earned a spot in the league on the back of some exceptional recent form in the shortest format.

Each of these signings means that all eight teams have announced four players each. Women's CricZone takes a closer look at the squads so far:

Birmingham Phoenix:

Georgia Elwiss, the England allrounder, is Birmingham Phoenix's latest signing. She will turn out for her home county in the inaugural edition of the competition, alongside Sophie Devine, Kirstie Gordon and Amy Jones.

London Spirit:

With over 100 international caps to her credit, West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin adds to what looks like a very strong London Spirit unit so far. She joins Tammy Beaumont, Freya Davies and Heather Knight in the squad.

Manchester Originals:

Mignon du Preez, who has had a sensational few months in T20 cricket at both the domestic and international level earns her place in the Manchester Originals team alongside countrywoman, Lizelle Lee. She will also get to play alongside Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone.

Northern Superchargers:

Northern Superchargers selected England allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards as their marquee player for the new competition. In what looks a lot like the Yorkshire Diamonds squad from the now defunct Women's Cricket Super League, she joins Alyssa Healy, Lauren Winfield and Linsey Smith as the fourth member of the squad.

Oval Invincibles:

Oval Invincibles have put together a strong unit so far with Rachael Haynes, the Australian batter, as their latest signing. The left-hander, who recently scored her maiden international hundred will join the likes of Dane van Niekerk, Fran Wilson and Laura Marsh in the line-up.

Southern Brave:

Stafanie Taylor joins Southern Braves in what looks like the strongest and most balanced quartet in the competition so far. The West Indies skipper will appear alongside her Southern Vipers teammates Danielle Wyatt and Suzie Bates, with Anya Shrubsole as the fourth player.

Trent Rockets:

With three allrounders already in their ranks, Trent Rockets have signed Australian top order batter Elyse Villani as their 'marquee' player in the third round of player announcements. Villani will join Katherine Brunt, Natalie Sciver and fellow Australian Sophie Molineux in the squad.

Welsh Fire:

Jess Jonassen, one of the world's premier allrounders, has joined Australian skipper Meg Lanning, and national team coach, Matthew Mott as part of Wesh Fire. The left-arm spinner will likely lead what is shaping up to be a rather young bowling unit with Bryony Smith and Katie George also in the team.

Fixtures:

Wednesday, July 22 - Birmingham Phoenix vs Manchester Originals - New Road, Worcester

Thursday, July 23 - London Spirit vs Northern Superchargers - Lord’s, London

Friday, July 24 - Birmingham Phoenix vs Southern Brave - Edgbaston, Birmingham

Friday, July 24 - Manchester Originals vs Oval Invincibles - Sedbergh School, Sedbergh

Saturday, July 25 - Trent Rockets vs Welsh Fire - Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sunday, July 26 - Northern Superchargers vs Oval Invincibles - Roseworth Terrace, Gosforth

Sunday, July 26 - London Spirit vs Southern Brave - The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford

Monday, July 27 - Manchester Originals vs Trent Rockets - Old Trafford, Manchester

Tuesday, July 28 - Welsh Fire vs Birmingham Phoenix - Cardiff Wales Stadium, Cardiff

Wednesday, July 29 - Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit - The Oval, London

Thursday, July 30 - Welsh Fire vs Northern Superchargers - Bristol County Ground, Bristol

Thursday, July 30 - Trent Rockets vs Birmingham Phoenix - Grace Road, Leicester

Friday, July 31 - Manchester Originals vs London Spirit - Old Trafford, Manchester

Friday, July 31 - Southern Brave vs Oval Invincibles The County Ground, Hove

Saturday, August 1 - Trent Rockets vs Northern Superchargers - County Ground, Derby

Sunday, August 2 - Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave - The County Ground, Taunton

Sunday, August 2 - Oval Invincibles vs Birmingham Phoenix - The Spitfire Ground, Beckenham

Tuesday, August 4 - Southern Brave vs Trent Rockets - The Ageas Bowl, Southampton

Wednesday, August 5 - Northern Superchargers vs Manchester Originals - Headingley, Leeds

Thursday, August 6 - London Spirit vs Welsh Fire - The County Ground, Northampton

Friday, August 7 - Trent Rockets vs Oval Invincibles - County Ground, Derby

Saturday, August 8 - Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals - Bristol County Ground, Bristol

Sunday, August 9 - Birmingham Phoenix vs London Spirit - New Road, Worcester

Sunday, August 9 - Northern Superchargers vs Southern Brave - York Cricket Club, York

Tuesday, August 11 - London Spirit vs Trent Rockets - The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford

Tuesday, August 11 - Northern Superchargers vs Birmingham Phoenix - York Cricket Club, York

Wednesday, August 12 - Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire - The Spitfire Ground, Beckenham

Wednesday, August 12 - Southern Brave vs Manchester Originals  The County Ground, Hove

FRIDAY - AUGUST 14 - FINALS DAY