SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 10: Ash Gardner of the Sixers fields during the Women's Big Bash League WBBL match between the Sydney Thunder and the Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval on December 10, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Australian star cricketers Meg Lanning, Ash Gardner, and Tahlia McGrath won't take part in the third campaign of the Women's Hundred, instead favouring rest following a busy schedule.
The trio are currently representing Australia in the women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, with the WPL to take place after the conclusion of the tournament.
They are among 14 Australian women's cricketers signing up for the inaugural WPL, which held a much-anticipated draft on Monday.
Australia's hectic schedule after the World Cup sees them tour England from June 22 to July 18 for the Ashes, consisting of a solitary test, three T20s and three 50-over matches. The schedule doesn't stop there with the West Indies stopping by in September, before a WBBL campaign, and then a tour to India.
The Women's Hundred Competition, which runs from August 1 to 27, slots right in the middle of a hectic calendar for the Australian women's squad, causing the domestic tournament to miss out on a host of top talent.
Meanwhile, teams in the competition will unveil their retained list of players with each team allowed to retain up to four players from the previous campaign.
Despite the packed 2023 cricketing calendar, a quartet of Australian stars such as opening batter Alyssa Healy (Northern Superchargers), spinner Alana King (Trent Rockets), all-rounder Ellyse Perry (Birmingham Phoenix) and star batter Beth Mooney are all expected to take part in the tournament.
The inaugural women's draft is set to take place on March 23.