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Shane Warne will coach a Lord's-based team taking part in the inaugural edition of the Hundred, a new cricket league featuring 100-ball innings.

Shane Warne has likened the Hundred, a new competition being launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board, to the Indian Premier League after signing up as coach of the Lord's-based team.

Warne joins fellow Australians Darren Lehmann, Simon Katich and Andrew McDonald as inaugural coaches in the league that will feature 100-ball innings.

The invention of a new format, involving a change of ends after 10 deliveries and games completed in less than two-and-a-half hours, has been met with plenty of skepticism in England.

But Warne is a big believer in the power of the five-week tournament, which will start in July 2020 and boast teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff and Southampton plus two based in London.

"I always want to be ahead of the curve because cricket benefits from innovation and that was the case in 2008 with the IPL, when I was captain-coach of the Rajasthan Royals," Warne said in a statement.

"I love the concept of the Hundred and it has grabbed my attention in the same way the IPL did.

"We built a team from scratch with a diverse range of players from different backgrounds and ages and I can't wait to build the same mix of players to entertain the fans who come down to Lord's.

"This tournament will unearth some heroes and hopefully some future World Cup stars for England and other countries."

Former Australia coach Lisa Keightley will mentor the women's Hundred side based at Lord's.