Former England player who went unsold in IPL 2025 auction registers for The Hundred draft 

As per reports, former England pacer James Anderson has registered for The Hundred Draft on Monday, March 3. The event will take place on March 12 and the Wildcard Draft is scheduled for May. Meanwhile, the tournament will comprise 31 matches from August 5 to 31, with the participation of eight teams.

Anderson last played for England in July 2024 against West Indies. He retired from international cricket with 991 wickets across all formats. He has since then worked as a consultant coach for the national side.

However, the 42-year-old expressed his desire to restart his professional career. He also registered his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. With no long-term prospects visible, Anderson did not find any takers in the auction.

Nevertheless, James Anderson signed a one-year contract extension with Lancashire in January this year. In his official statement, he mentioned that he will be playing white and red-ball cricket for the club in the 2025 season. Notably, he last played a T20I game for Lancashire back in 2014.

During the last edition of The Hundred, Anderson looked confident with his ability to secure success in the tournament. He said (via ESPNcricinfo):

"Watching the Hundred this year, seeing the ball swing around, it makes me feel like I could do a job there."

Anderson will turn 43 on July 30 before the 2025 edition of the tournament kicks off in August. If selected, the right-arm pacer will become the oldest to feature in the league after Imran Tahir, who played at 43 in the 2022 season.

A total of 300 male players have registered for The Hundred draft. The likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Ellis, Dawid Malan, Noor Ahmad, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra have also put their names in the draft.

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Who were the key players signed by franchises ahead of The Hundred draft?

The franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of 10 players from their 2024 squad ahead of the February 25 deadline. They were also allowed to make one direct signing of an overseas player outside the draft. Steve Smith, Trent Boult, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Faf Du Plessis, Rashid Khan, Kane Williamson and Marcus Stoinis were the direct signings by the teams.

Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Ben Duckett were some of the England players retained ahead of the draft. Meanwhile, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Finn Allen will continue to play for their respective teams in The Hundred.