MI London have retained Rashid Khan and added Nicholas Pooran while Welsh Fire have signed Freya Kemp and Rachin Ravindra for the 2026 Hundred season.
New Zealand batter Ravindra joins his former Manchester Originals team-mate Phil Salt at Fire, while England all-rounder Kemp and Australia all-round Georgia Wareham are the franchise’s first signings for the women’s side.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Khan will be joined at MI’s men’s team by West Indies star Pooran, with New Zealand all-rounder Melie Kerr and Windies batter Hayley Matthews signing for the women’s team.
Five-time Hundred champions MI – under their former Oval Invincibles guise – have already retained three England internationals in batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge and all-rounders Sam Curran and Will Jacks.
Teams are allowed to directly sign or retain four players before the auction – a new addition for this season – which is set to take place in March.
Khan, 27, helped his franchise win their third consecutive men’s title last year, having previously played three seasons for Trent Rockets.
The big-hitting Pooran, 30, a veteran of the franchise circuit, has played one prior season in The Hundred – for Northern Superchargers in 2024.
Kerr, 25, played last season with Originals, having spent 2022 and 2023 with London Spirit, while Matthews, 27, spent the first five seasons of The Hundred at Fire.
“The signings we have made have built a terrific backbone for both the men’s and women’s teams,” said MI London chair Oli Slipper.
“Fans were wowed by the performances of Rashid Khan at the Kia Oval last summer and Nicholas Pooran is an incredibly dynamic and exciting cricketer.
“In Hayley Matthews and Melie Kerr, we have signed two players who have delivered on the biggest stages for their countries and have extensive experience in franchise cricket.”
Kemp, 20, has spent five seasons at Southern Brave, winning the tournament in 2023.
Wareham, 26, was with Superchargers for the past three years, but only played two games in their 2025 title-winning campaign.
Ravindra, 26, played four games for Originals last season, averaging 30.33 and taking three wickets with his part-time spin.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to secure three high quality players to come to Welsh Fire for next year,” said general manager Mark Wallace said.
“This is very much a reset for the competition and these signings give us a fantastic base to build the squad from in the Hundred auction.”
