Australian all-rounder and Birmingham Phoenix captain Ellyse Perry has said private investment in The Hundred will allow teams to be innovative and have creative licence about where to take them.
The American investment fund Knighthead Capital completed a £40m takeover of Birmingham Phoenix, taking a 49 per cent stake in the team.
for six of the teams in The Hundred, with the remaining two set for formal completion at a later date, which Perry sees as a big positive for the game.
"The new capital and investment coming into the game come with a certain standard and quality across the board in terms of developing the competition," Perry said.
"I don't think it sits between two genders anymore, it's about making The Hundred as a whole an amazing competition and product on a global level.
"What the level of investment and those opportunities open up for us is pretty exciting. It gives a level of individuality to teams and opens up a bit of creative license to where things go and how teams present themselves going forward, and what innovations they take on, which I think is a really great thing for the game.
"In a competition that is about being creative and doing things differently, it's really cool."
Birmingham Phoenix appointed Ali Maiden as their head coach for the 2025 season. Maiden replaced Ben Sawyer, who was released at the end of his contract after five years at the helm.
Phoenix finished seventh in the 2024 edition, after winning three of their eight games, sitting one place above bottom-placed team, Southern Brave.
However, Perry and Maiden have big ambitions for this year with a refresh across the board.
"Every season in a franchise competition is very much a clean slate," Perry said.
"The depth of the women's competition and how close the teams are becoming make it a really exciting opportunity.
"We've got a really fresh team this year, new staff as well, so for us, it's a really great opportunity to lay a new foundation, play a style of cricket that we're really keen on playing, and in terms of results, the things that you can control is the effort you put in and how you want to play.
"I've chatted to Ali for the last six months or so since he's come into the role. He's obviously taken on Warwickshire over the summer, and it was clear the way that they wanted to play, especially in the Vitality Blast.
"It's a really positive brand of cricket, which I know is spoken about all the time in the shorter format, but I think he's got a real emphasis on athleticism and creating opportunities with the bat and ball.
"He's had some really great success with Warwickshire in the first season of the new competition, and he just brings some great energy and enthusiasm to the group. I know the girls are excited to play under him."
The Hundred will allow the players to spend time with other cricketers they will face in the upcoming Women's World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Australia are the defending champions of the ODI World Cup, having won their seventh title in 2022, with the forthcoming edition dubbed the most exciting one yet by Perry.
"I think everyone's very much looking forward to that challenge," Perry said.
"It will be a long period in India and some fairly different conditions. We've had a bunch of camps over our winter back in Australia, and a number of our squad are over here for The Hundred, which is great.
"Any exposure to competitive cricket is important in the lead-up to big tournaments, and I think it's going to be probably the most hotly contested one yet.
"You look at where teams are at across the world, and the development that has taken place in the time between the last ODI World Cup and this one, so I think it's going to be really close one, in some tough conditions too.
"From our perspective, it's a great challenge. You can't really think about trying to hold on to the trophy; you've got to win it again. Everyone's kind of keen for that challenge again."
KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, are celebrating the installation of 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit: .
Watch every match across the women's and men's competitions live on Your Site from August 5-31.
