MI London head coach Lisa Keightley expressed her disappointment at the lack of female representation in leadership positions within The Hundred, following the inaugural auction for the 2026 season. While acknowledging the positive strides being made in pay equity and the overall growth of the women’s game, Keightley was the sole female head coach present at the event, a disparity she hopes to see rectified in the future. The auction itself saw significant investment, with sums of money previously unseen in the six-year history of the competition being offered for players.
Keightley, a highly respected figure in women’s cricket with extensive coaching experience spanning England, Australia, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and the Northern Superchargers – whom she led to the 2025 Women’s Hundred title – believes the progress is undeniable, but incomplete. She pointed to the competitive T20 leagues in India, England, and Australia as key drivers of this growth, particularly in terms of financial opportunities for players. However, she stressed that representation at the coaching level needs to catch up.
“It’s really changing fast, isn’t it? And I suppose the three powerhouses – India, England, and Australia – having a highly competitive T20 competitions – it’s really driving the women’s space and the pay equity,” Keightley said, according to ESPNcricinfo. “We’re not there, but it’s moving and it’s moving pretty fast, so that’s really good.”
The sentiment was echoed by Sarah Taylor, currently an assistant coach with Manchester Super Giants, and Anya Shrubsole, assistant coach at Southern Brave, both of whom were present at the auction. Shrubsole is building her coaching resume after a successful playing career with England, including a stint as a player-coach at Southern Vipers and a bowling coach role with the WPL-winning Royal Challengers Bangalore. Taylor, a former England wicketkeeper, has as well gained experience in various coaching roles, including with Manchester Originals, England Lions, and Gujarat Giants in the WPL.
Keightley, who was appointed MI London head coach in place of Jonathan Batty, according to Cricinformer, offered advice to aspiring female coaches, urging them to seize opportunities when they arise. “As females, you always think you’re not ready and you’re happy to be an assistant, but I think the only way you get in there and do It’s if you get the opportunity, take it, get in there, do it,” she stated. “If someone says they want you to be a head coach, don’t think you’re not ready. You’ve got to jump at the chance, be brave and back yourself and put good people around you and you’ll be fine.”
MI London had a productive auction, pre-signing Hayley Matthews, Melie Kerr, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge before adding West Indies’ Chinelle Henry and Australian allrounder Nicola Carey, who is returning to the national fold after a two-year absence. They also secured uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kira Chathli for £80,000, after she finished the 2025 season sixth in run-scorers with 220 runs at an average of 24.44 and a strike rate of 150.68 while playing for London Spirit.
Keightley expressed satisfaction with the team’s acquisitions, noting their batting depth. “Look, it would have maybe been nice to get another power hitter in the top five, but in saying that, at The Oval, you’ll still be able to locate the boundary and when we go away, it might look a little bit different in how we accumulate our runs, but we’ve still got some batting there, especially up top with our openers,” she said. “If they can bat quite long, I think that sets us up really well. And having Chathli, obviously how she played last year, I think she could have an impact in our top order as well.”
Keightley, whose coaching career also includes stints with Australia and the England national team, as detailed on Wikipedia, acknowledged that achieving greater gender balance in coaching will take time. She emphasized the importance of players transitioning into coaching roles and gaining the necessary experience and respect within the cricketing community. “It’s a tough one,” she said. “It will change over time and it’s just players getting back into the system, having opportunity and finding their way through their journey and hopefully moving forward.”
Looking ahead, the focus will be on fostering a pipeline of qualified female coaches and creating opportunities for them to lead at all levels of the game. The coming years will be crucial in determining whether the momentum towards greater representation in coaching roles will continue, and whether the landscape will look significantly different in the next five years.
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