The Hundred: London Spirit land Australian seamer Nathan Ellis

The Australian seamer, who held his nerve during a nail-biting conclusion to seal the T20 title for Hampshire, replaces injured compatriot Riley Meredith in the Brave squad ahead of next week's launch.

Worcestershire's Pat Brown, who made four T20 appearances for England in 2019, has also been drafted as injury replacement by Oval Invincibles, who have lost Gus Atkinson. The Invincibles' women's side have also been forced into one change, with Sophia Smale joining in place of Emma Jones.

Three overseas signings have also been announced to cover for international absences, with Tabraiz Shamsi deputising for Rashid Khan at Trent Rockets, Josh Inglis for Glenn Maxwell at Spirit and Ireland's Paul Stirling standing in for Marcus Stoinis at Southern Brave.

Stirling was named player of the match in last year's inaugural final, leading Brave to the trophy with a knock of 61, but had not been retained.

Meanwhile, Welsh Fire have announced the appointment of Gareth Breese as new head coach of their women's team. Breese, the former Durham all-rounder, has worked as assistant coach of England Women and has been a key mentor to Sophie Ecclestone, who currently sits at number one in the International Cricket Council's T20 and ODI bowling rankings.