Amid the high-profile setting of the inaugural Women’s Hundred auction held on March 11, 2026, at London’s Piccadilly, MI London head coach Lisa Keightley expressed satisfaction with her squad composition while drawing attention to the lack of female representation in leadership roles.
Her team features prominent names such as Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, yet Keightley was struck by the broader gender imbalance at the event. She stood as the only female head coach among the eight participating franchises, a group that includes teams reshaped by IPL franchise investments, including Sunrisers Leeds, defending champions Manchester Super Giants, and MI London — formerly Oval Invincibles, who secured back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022.
With the sixth edition of The Hundred scheduled from July 21 to August 16, Keightley used the occasion to highlight the gradual pace of progress in women’s coaching leadership. Her coaching career spans roles with England, Australia, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, in addition to guiding Northern Superchargers to last season’s title.
At the auction, Keightley secured key additions including West Indies all-rounder Chinelle Henry, Australia’s Nicola Carey and uncapped English wicketkeeper-batter Kira Chathli, the latter acquired for £80,000 following competition from Welsh Fire and Sunrisers Leeds.
Chathli’s performances during the 2025 season, when she scored 220 runs at an average of 24.44 and a strike rate of 150.68 for London Spirit, have raised expectations of impact at the top of the order. Reflecting on her squad’s balance and batting options at The Oval, Keightley said, “Look, it would have maybe been nice to get another power hitter in the top five, but we’ve still got some batting there, especially up top with our openers.”
She believes MI London possess sufficient batting depth, extending down to number nine, to handle high-pressure situations. However, the limited number of women in senior coaching positions remained a key concern. “The only thing I’m disappointed in is that I look around the room, and I’m the only female head coach,” she said.
“So for me, waving the flag and hopefully, as we move into cricket, we get a few more female head coaches here.”
There are encouraging signs at assistant level, with figures such as Sarah Taylor at Manchester Super Giants and Anya Shrubsole at Southern Brave contributing to coaching setups. Taylor, who has previously worked with Manchester Originals, England Lions and Gujarat Giants, noted on the Powerplay podcast that she feels she is “not there yet” for a head coach role.
Drawing from her own journey, Keightley urged aspiring female coaches to embrace opportunities when they arise. “As females, you always think you’re not ready, and you’re happy to be an assistant, but 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.”
While acknowledging that women’s cricket is expanding rapidly through franchise competitions in India, England and Australia — alongside continued discussions around pay equality — Keightley believes leadership change will take time. She suggested that progress over the next five years could see more former players stepping into top coaching roles.
Her candid reflections come at a significant moment for The Hundred, where record auction bids underline growing investment in the women’s game, but increased representation in leadership remains an ongoing objective.
