Northern Warriors have competed in the comp for a while, but I've always wondered what they represent the north of. The UAE? Nope, it turns out that, per the "About" section on their website, "North shows characteristics of power, dominance and aggression". Now we know.

8/8

Aspin Stallions? Aspin-en-Lavedan, a commune in France with a population of 301 perhaps? It's not clear but you can WhatsApp them using the number in their Instagram bio for sponsorship. Oh and they have Harbhajan Singh playing for them, because of course.

7/8

How about Royal Champs? No idea, but their 52 Twitter followers will be aware from their bio that they have 👑 Royal Spirit and Champion Mindset 💜

6/8

I've done some digging to try to work out what some of these teams are meant to represent

Vista Riders? A beautiful vista in the UAE perhaps? Nope, they represent Vista Holding Group LLC, which has very little information about it on the internet

5/8

There are 4 entirely new teams which are Aspin Stallions, Quetta Qavalry, Royal Champs and Vista Riders

4/8

Ajman Bolts from last year seem to have become Ajman Titans, and Delhi Bulls have become UAE Bulls

Bangla Tigers, Chennai Braves, Morrisville Samp Army, New York Strikers, Team Abu Dhabi and UP Nawabs have disappeared

3/8

In the UK it looks like it's being broadcast on Premier Sports (Sky channel 419)

Of course, the inherent spuriousness of this competition is highlighted by only 2 of the 10 teams that competed last year being back this year (Deccan Gladiators and Northern Warriors)

2/8

I'm not sure, but certainly strange he's not playing

Should note she actually played one match for Stars in the Spring Challenge a few weeks ago but it was her Melbourne Stars BBL debut

...expect 2 more domestic signings, and it's probably safe to assume one of them will be Ruby Davis

Ellie Anderson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Luff, Bex Odgers and Bea Willis have contracts until the end of 2027

Every other squad member has a contract expiring at the end of 2026

4/4

It is unconfirmed whether the overseas player, Amanda-Jade Wellington, is returning next season

Bea Willis is the only confirmed new signing for next season so far. Assuming the squad remains at 16 players (excluding centrally contracted and overseas players), we can...

3/4

The other 3 are all confirmed to be leaving the club (Laura Jackson and Amelie Munday released, Fran Wilson retired)

The 3 England centrally contracted players (Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson and Heather Knight) are all signed for next season

2/4

Indeed, but there have been some ODI series played outside the Women's Championship

...sufficient preparation for ODIs. As we've seen with the men's side, it really isn't. You can develop some ODI skills in T20 cricket, but to be really good at ODIs, particularly abroad, you need to...play lots of ODIs, particularly abroad

5/5

...three years, ODIs are neglected. But the ECB and team management should realise that it's important to keep the ODI side's development ticking over, ideally in a variety of conditions around the world

Hopefully they don't fall into the trap of thinking T20 cricket is...

4/5

...they should now realise that even some ODIs in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh in recent years would've benefited the side, particularly the middle order which was a problem throughout the World Cup

There's a danger now that with a global T20 tournament in each of the next...

3/5

...hadn't played an ODI in Asia since 2019

England women tours abroad, aside from Ashes series and to some extent India and SA tours, are weirdly low-key and go under the radar due to a lack of good quality TV coverage. The ECB don't seem that bothered about them but...

2/5

Ok Hampshire did technically loan in Danny Briggs for the Global Super League last year but thankfully that wasn't real