The Hundred: Meet London Spirit

London Spirit won't be short of leadership

England's World Cup-winning captains Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight are at the helm for London Spirit, who will hope to bring the inaugural Hundred trophy back to their Lord's base.

Here, BBC Sport analyses the strengths and potential weaknesses of Spirit.

The coaches: Innovative minds and World Cup-winning captains

Expectations will be high at London Spirit while legendary Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne is in charge.

He won everything there is to win as a player and he has transferred his highly-regarded and innovative cricket mind to coaching - a career highlight coming when he led Rajasthan Royals to the first ever Indian Premier League title in 2008.

He places a focus on aggressive and inspirational cricket, and relishes nurturing younger talent. His relationship with England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan is potentially brilliant.

Trevor Griffin, who will coach Spirit's women, has a similar philosophy in nurturing players. Griffin's impressive coaching career and ties with England's other World Cup-winning captain Heather Knight are sure to reap rewards.

Ones to watch: Exhilarating fast bowler and England's white-ball leader

Pakistan bowler Mohammed Amir is a game-changer who is capable of speeds in excess of 90mph.

The left-armer can be devastating with the new ball, as witnessed in the 2017 Champions Trophy final when he ripped through India's top order, claiming Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan inside his opening spell to help his side towards a famous victory.

And what more can we say about Eoin Morgan?

His ice-cool leadership transformed England from white-ball whipping boys to undisputed number one in the world and his batting can be equally as devastating - as evidenced by his world record number of sixes in an innings against Afghanistan in 2019. He finished with 17 of them in a knock of 148 off 71 balls!

Ones to watch: Experienced England duo link up again

London Spirit can expect plenty of runs at the top of their women's batting order

England opener Tammy Beaumont sits comfortably at the top of the ICC one-day batting rankings.

Having played 140 white-ball matches and with a T20 international century under her belt, diminutive right-hander Beaumont is virtually guaranteed runs for Spirit.

Lining up alongside Beaumont is her international skipper Heather Knight, a reliable top-order batter who also bowl useful off-spin.

Having led England to the Women's 50-over World Cup in 2017, her knowledge of playing under pressure will be priceless.

She has worked hard over the last four years to improve her strike-rate, and with her ability to hit the ball cleanly, she will prove to be an obstacle for any opponent.

The Young Guns: Spirit place faith in young spinners

Can Spirit's spinners land some knockout blows?

Such is the esteem in which Hannah Jones is held, she was made Surrey captain at the age of 19. A crafty finger spinner with plenty of tricks up her sleeve - she has a hat-trick against Middlesex to her name - she will also bolster the batting with her lower-order hitting.

Mesmerised by the bowling of Shane Warne as an eight-year-old watching the iconic 2005 Ashes series, Mason Crane now has the chance to play under his hero.

The 24-year-old leg-spinner made his Test debut aged 20 on England's disastrous Ashes tour of 2017-18 but struggled with form and injury after that sole appearance.

He has successfully rebuilt his career in recent years though, and is now Hampshire's first-choice spinner and a bowler capable of taking wickets in any conditions.

Why London Spirit will win The Hundred

Howzat? Jade Dernbach might have the most bowling variations in the game

London Spirit's men are one of the favourites to win because of their squad's experience across numerous T20 franchise leagues.

Spirit may lose the likes of Mark Wood and Zak Crawley to England duty, but they are well stocked with the likes of Ravi Bopara and Jade Dernbach both talented and experienced enough to cover.

They also have a plethora of slow-bowling options which may prove handy on some of the larger grounds.

The women's team will be boosted by the experience and aggression of West Indies' T20 World Cup winner Deandra Dottin. The first female cricketer to hit 100 sixes in T20 internationals, she is sure to provide explosiveness and power.

As a young and agile side, Spirit should prove to be entertaining and their bowling has been strengthened with the recent addition of India all-rounder Deepti Sharma.

Charlie Dean's bowling performances in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy are sure to have caught the eye of opposition batters and Danielle Gibson, who has been ravaged by injury, is finally fit and raring to go.

Why they won't win The Hundred

Zak Crawley may be missing to England duty

London Spirit's men will be without the likes of England players Mark Wood and Zak Crawley for parts of the competition, while an ageing squad may also be a cause for concern - especially in the field, with six players over the age of 34.

The loss of Glenn Maxwell hurts any team in the world, but his replacement Josh Inglis is an up-and-coming star who smoked an unbeaten 103 off 62 in the T20 Blast just last month.

The form of Naomi Dattani has been a worry in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, however, having never previously opened the bowling, experimenting now will give London Spirit options as she aims to correct her line while bowling fast.