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White Ferns star lands record payday in The Hundred
Sport Nation • March 12th, 2026 8:36 am
Sophie Devine | Photo: Photosport
White Ferns star Sophie Devine has landed a record-breaking contract worth $476,000 to play for Welsh Fire in this year’s The Hundred competition in the UK.
The deal is the largest ever paid to a women’s player in the history of the tournament.
Devine, 36, recently stepped down as captain of New Zealand. She is no stranger to the English domestic scene, having played there since 2016, and spent last season with Birmingham Phoenix.
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Her new salary dwarfs previous earnings in the women’s competition — the earlier top bracket sat at around $147,000, meaning the new deals represent a dramatic jump in pay.
The figures are also higher than the top salaries in the Women’s Big Bash League, and are now similar to those offered in India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The surge in wages follows a major financial boost for the competition. The salary cap for women’s teams has doubled to $2 million per franchise after private investors bought stakes in all eight Hundred teams.
Fellow White Fern Melie Kerr did not enter the auction, having already been pre-signed by Mumbai Indians London.
The Hundred — a shortened format where each side faces 100 balls — begins its 2026 season in July.
Devine will return to the White Ferns for the first time since last year's World Cup in their upcoming series against South Africa.
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