Birmingham Phoenix Coach Ben Sawyer Captain Amy Jones Home ground Edgbaston Best domestic player The left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon has a point to prove after recently losing her England contract, and will see the Hundred as the perfect high-profile opportunity to do it. Best overseas player Shafali Verma was most recently seen smashing Katherine Brunt for five consecutive boundaries in a Twenty20 at Hove. At 17 years old, she is utterly fearless. Bowlers beware. Surprise package Izzy Wong will bang it in short and fast – control is sometimes lacking but, if she gets it right, life could be tricky for the batters. What’s the motto? “Rise with Birmingham Phoenix, and thrive together as one. Bigger, brighter and better united, this team is a celebration of the strength in diversity. Because different is good.” Odds 11-2 Fixtures: 23 July vs London Spirit, Edgbaston 3pm; 25 July vs Manchester Originals, Old Trafford 2pm; 30 July vs Southern Brave, Ageas Bowl 3pm; 1 August vs Trent Rockets, Edgbaston 11pm; 4 August vs Oval Invincibles, Edgbaston 3.30pm; 9 August vs Welsh Fire, Edgbaston 3pm; 13 August vs Trent Rockets, Trent Bridge 3.30pm; 17 August Northern Superchargers, Headingley 3pm. London Spirit Coach Trevor Griffin Captain Heather Knight Home ground Lord’s Best domestic player Tammy Beaumont has already hit seven half-centuries for England this year and will be a prize wicket for any opposition team. Best overseas player Deepti Sharma – Knight will know how to get the best out of the off-spinning all-rounder having captained her in the 2019 Super League. Surprise package The all-rounder Grace Scrivens bats left-handed, bowls right-handed. Only 17 but has outshone every one of her teammates in domestic cricket this season. What’s the motto? “London Spirit is an iconic team for an iconic city, rooted in tradition and lighting the way to the future, with a unique ability to conjure something special.” Odds 11-2 Fixtures: 23 July vs Birmingham Phoenix, Edgbaston 3pm; 25 July vs Oval Invincibles, Lord’s 11am; 29 July vs Trent Rockets, Lord’s 3pm; 1 August vs Southen Brave, Lord’s 2.30pm; 3 August vs Northern Superchargers, Lord’s 3pm; 10 August vs Manchester Originals, Old Trafford 3pm; 14 August vs Oval Invincibles, The Oval 3.30pm; 18 August vs Welsh Fire, Sophia Gardens 3pm. Manchester Originals Coach Paul Shaw Captain Kate Cross Home ground Old Trafford Best domestic player Sophie Ecclestone. It’s going to be difficult to get it right as a bowler in this competition but you can be sure this left-arm spinner, the epitome of ball control, will manage it. Best overseas player Lizelle Lee’s 100 in 55 balls lit up the 2018 Super League final. She packs a hefty punch with the bat and loves to launch it over cow corner for six. Surprise package If you’ve not seen her before, make sure you watch Emma Lamb – her form has been so hot in 2021 that she is being touted as a future England opener. What’s the motto? “Manchester Originals. Pioneers. Revolutionaries. Celebrating a global city of firsts. Laughing in the face of limits. Raising the bar forever higher.” Odds 4-1 Fixtures: 21 July vs Oval Invincibles, The Oval 6.30pm; 25 July vs Birmingham Phoenix, Old Trafford 2.30pm; 28 July vs Northern Superchargers, Old Trafford 3pm; 31 July vs Welsh Fire, Sophia Gardens 11pm; 5 August vs Southern Brave, Old Trafford 3.30pm; 10 August vs London Spirit, Old Trafford 3pm; 12 August vs Northern Superchargers, Headingley 3.30pm; 15 August vs Trent Rockets, Trent Bridge 3.30pm. Oval Invincibles Coach Jonathan Batty Captain Dane van Niekerk Home ground The Oval Best domestic player Tash Farrant. Left-arm seamer who moves it both ways. Has been sat on the sidelines for England for six weeks and will be raring to go. Best overseas player You do not want to get on the wrong side of the ferocious strike bowler Marizanne Kapp. She can bat a bit, too. Surprise package The batting all-rounder Alice Capsey. At 16, she is the youngest player in the competition, but don’t let that fool you – Capsey has got great technique, oozes confidence, and her off-spin is also handy. What’s the motto? “Belong to something bigger, with Oval Invincibles. Vibrant, expressive, and free to play their own way, this team leaves a lasting impression long after the last ball.” Odds: 7-1 Fixtures: 21 July vs Manchester Originals, The Oval 6.30pm; 25 July vs London Spirit, Lord’s 11pm; 31 July vs Northern Superchargers, Headingley 2.30pm; 2 August vs Welsh Fire, The Oval 3pm; 4 August vs Birmingham Phoenix, Edgbaston 3.30pm; 8 August vs Trent Rockets, The Oval 3.30pm; 14 August vs London Spirit, The Oval 3.30pm; 16 August Southern Brave, Ageas Bowl 3.30pm. Southern Brave Coach Charlotte Edwards Captain Tbc Home ground Ageas Bowl Best domestic player Danni Wyatt is one of only two players in the competition with two Twenty20 international hundreds to her name. She will also be on a high after sealing England’s series win against India last week with an unbeaten 89. Best overseas player If the opening batter Smriti Mandhana can do what she did in the 2018 Super League (421 runs at a strike rate of 175), the other teams had better watch out. Surprise package Charlotte Taylor is a part-time cricketer who works for an aerospace company yet somehow still bamboozles the best players in England with her arm balls. Now is her chance to add some international scalps to that list. What’s the motto? “Follow Southern Brave, and go boldly where others shy away. Endlessly curious, with an insatiable appetite for adventure, what’s over the horizon?” Odds 4-1 Fixtures: 24 July vs Trent Rockets, Trent Bridge 11am; 27 July vs Welsh Fire, Sophia Gardens 3.30pm; 30 July vs Birmingham Phoenix, Ageas Bowl 3pm; 1 August vs London Spirit, Lord’s 2.30pm; 5 August vs Manchester Originals, Old Trafford 3.30pm; 7 August vs Northern Superchargers, Ageas Bowl 3.30pm; 11 August vs Welsh Fire Ageas Bowl 3pm; 16 August vs Oval Invincibles Ageas Bowl 3.30pm. Trent Rockets Coach Salliann Beams Captain Nat Sciver Home ground Trent Bridge Best domestic player Nat Sciver projects an aura of calm when she arrives at the crease, whatever the circumstances. In the unfamiliarity of a new format, that’s going to be a big advantage. Best overseas player The New Zealander Rachel Priest loves batting in England (and Wales, where she has recently played her county cricket) and she can hit very, very big. Surprise package: Sarah Glenn is known for her leg-spin but watch out for her batting, too – England toyed with the idea of opening with her in the T20s against West Indies last summer. What’s the motto? “Join Trent Rockets for the biggest party in the country. Everyone’s invited – so long as you don’t mind having the most fun. Volume up, ready for launch.” Odds: 11-2 Fixtures: 24 July vs Southern Brave, Trent Bridge 11am; 26 July vs Trent Rockets Northern Superchargers, Trent Bridge 3pm; 29 July vs London Spirit, Lord’s 3pm; 1 August vs Birmingham Phoenix, Edgbaston 11am; 6 August vs Welsh Fire, Sophia Gardens 3.30pm; 8 August vs Oval Invincibles, The Oval 3.30pm; 13 August vs Birmingham Phoenix, Trent Bridge 3.30pm; 15 August vs Manchester Originals, Trent Bridge 3.30pm. Northern Superchargers Coach Danielle Hazell Captain Lauren Winfield-Hill Home ground Headingley Best domestic player After three years in the wilderness struggling with Crohn’s disease, Lauren Winfield-Hill has this season hit a hundred for Northern Diamonds and reclaimed her opening spot for England in one-day internationals. Best overseas player South African Laura Wolvaardt turned down medical school in order to continue playing: medicine’s loss is cricket’s gain. Has a cover drive for die for. Surprise package Watch out for the leg-spinner (and the Guardian Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2019) Katie Levick’s bowling action. The term frog-in-a-blender wasn’t invented for her, but it may as well have been. What’s the motto? “Step aside for Northern Superchargers, a team whose drive and determination is matched only by their desire to win. Powered by positivity and people who get stuff done when every ball counts.” Odds 7-1 Fixtures: 24 July vs Welsh Fire, Headingley 2.30pm; 26 July vs Trent Rockets, Trent Bridge, 3pm; 28 July vs Manchester Originals, Old Trafford 3pm; 31 July vs Oval Invincibles, Headingley 2.30pm; 3 August vs London Spirit, Lord’s 3pm; 7 August vs Southern Brave, Ageas Bowl 3.30pm; 12 August vs Manchester Originals, Headingley 3.30pm; 17 August vs Birmingham Phoenix, Headingley 3pm. Welsh Fire Coach Mark O’Leary Captain Tbc Home ground Sophia Gardens Best domestic player The opening bat Bryony Smith hits the ball harder than anyone in the women’s game; in this wham-bam new format, that is an enormous asset. Best overseas player Hayley Matthews may have been bagged as a last-minute replacement but she is in delectable form, having hit a century for West Indies against Pakistan this month. Surprise package Many thought Sarah Taylor’s cricketing days were behind her after anxiety issues forced her retirement from international cricket in 2019, but she’s back. Can the 32-year-old prove she is still peerless behind the stumps? What’s the motto? “Spark the Welsh Fire. Burning bright with intense passion and relentless energy, their hunger will prove the haters wrong. Get ready to feel the heat.” Odds 8-1 Fixtures: 24 July vs Northern Superchargers, Headingley 2.30pm; 27 July vs Southern Brave, Sophia Gardens 3pm; 31 July vs Manchester Originals, Sophia Gardens 11am; 2 August vs Oval Invincibles, The Oval 3pm; 6 August vs Trent Rockets, Sophia Gardens 3.30pm; 9 August vs Birmingham Phoenix, Edgbaston 3pm; 11 August vs Southern Brave, Ageas Bowl 3pm; 18 August vs London Spirit, Sophia Gardens 3pm.