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| Countries | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Administrator | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Format | 100-ball cricket |
| First edition | 2021 |
| Latest edition | 2025 |
| Next edition | 2026 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin league andPlay-offs |
| Number of teams | Women: 8 Men: 8 |
| Current champion | Women:Northern Superchargers (1st title) Men:Oval Invincibles (3rd title) |
| Most successful | Women:Oval Invincibles (2 titles) Men:Oval Invincibles (3 titles) |
| TV | BBC Sport Sky Sports |
| Website | www |
| Seasons |
|---|
The Hundred is a professionalcricket league in theUnited Kingdom. It is the only cricket league in the world that uses the100-ball cricket format. It is organised by theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and played during July and August each year. The competition is one of the four cricket tournaments organised by the ECB, alongside theCounty Championship, theOne-Day Cup and theT20 Blast. The Hundred comprises eight teams, with seven based in England and one in Wales.
The format was invented with the expectation that each match would last around two-and-a-half hours.[1] TheBBC showedfree-to-air broadcasts of the competition, while all of the women's matches and some of the men's matches were available to stream for free onSky Sports'YouTube channel.[2][3]
Almost all matches take place as back-to-back double-headers at the same venue on the same day. One ticket gives access to both the men's and women's games. The men's salaries are four times higher than the women's, but the tournament prize money is equal.[4][5][6] For statistical purposes The Hundred is designated as aTwenty20 competition.[7][8]
A new city-based cricketTwenty20 competition was first proposed by theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September 2016. Following early discussions between the 18first-class counties, theProfessional Cricketers' Association (PCA) and theMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) they voted 16–3 in favour of developing the competition.[9] On 26 April 2017, members of the ECB voted by 38–3 to push ahead with the new competition.[10]
The idea of switching the competition from the establishedTwenty20 format to an entirely new type of cricket was first proposed by Sanjay Patel, the ECB's chief commercial officer, in a private October 2017 meeting with senior cricket officials. He argued that the hundred ball format would be simpler to understand for new audiences that the competition wants to attract.[11]
Former England player and Northern Superchargers head coachDani Hazell stated that the tournament would help with investment into the women's regional structure and the tournament would be an important learning experience for domestic players.[12]
The tournament was delayed by a year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13]
The profitability of The Hundred has been a subject of debate. In 2016, a report produced byDeloitte had predicted the tournament would make about £27m profit per year. TheECB reported in 2022 that The Hundred had made an £11.8m profit. A report produced in 2023 by Fanos Hira, a chartered accountant, and assisted by ECB chairman Richard Thompson, showed a loss of £9m in its first two years. These figures do not include the £24.7m promised to the counties andMCC. The ECB's chief executive Richard Gould said he expected the tournament was "here to stay" beyond the current deal withSky Sports, which runs until 2028.[14]
For the third season of The Hundred, it was announced that the 100-ball cricket competition would be collaborating withMarvel Comics. A selection of Marvel's characters, such as Hulk, Iron Man and Black Panther featured in digital content with players from across all eight teams to introduce the competition to new audiences.[15]
In 2024, the ECB secured support from county cricket clubs to transfer ownership of the eight franchises away from the ECB, with the host counties (or MCC for London Spirit) given 51% of their franchise, and the ECB retaining 49%, which they would make available to private investors.[16]
The proceeds from the sale of the ECB's 49% stake would see 90% split equally between the 18 counties and the MCC, with 10% going to the recreational game. Any host selling part or all of their 51% stake would see proceeds split in the following way: 80% for the host county, 10% split between the 18 counties and MCC, and 10% for the recreational game.[17]
In September 2024, it was reported the ECB had turned down a £400m offer for 75% of the competition, fromBridgepoint Group, a London-listed buyout firm.[18] In October, MCC held a vote in which its members voted in favour of accepting the ECB's offer.[19]
The process of courting potential investors culminated in the final stage taking place in January 2025.[20] A 49% share inBirmingham Phoenix was sold for approximately £40m to Knighthead Capital, a US investment group that includingNFL quarterbackTom Brady. On the same day,Oval Invincibles announced that theAmbani family, owners of theMumbai Indians, had acquired a 49% stake for around £60m.[21]
Sanjay Govil'sWashington Freedom bought a 50% stake inWelsh Fire[22] and a consortium of tech billionaires led byNikesh Arora acquired 49% ofLondon Spirit for £145m.[23]
Lancashire became the first host county to sell part of their stake in their franchise, with 70% of theManchester Originals going to theRP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, owners of theMohun Bagan Super Giant andLucknow Super Giants, for approximately £81m.[24] This transaction established RPSG as the principal stakeholder in the Manchester-based team, with Lancashire County Cricket Club retaining the remaining 30% ownership.[25]
Yorkshire then sold their entire stake in theNorthern Superchargers toSun Group, the owners ofSunrisers Hyderabad, for around £100m.[26] On February 11, 2025,Chelsea co-ownerTodd Boehly's Cain International agreed to buy a 49% share inTrent Rockets for close to £40m.[27] On February 12,GMR Group, owner ofHampshire Cricket Club,[28] agreed a £48m deal for the ECB's 49% stake inSouthern Brave.[29] The sales were finalised in the second half of 2025 leading to Northern Superchargers and Oval Invincibles being rebranded as Sunrisers Leeds and MI London respectively.[30][31][32]
| Team[a] | Host (equity stake) | Investor (equity stake)[30] | Valuation (£ million)[citation needed] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Phoenix | Warwickshire (51%) | Knighthead Capital (49%) | 81.63 |
| London Spirit | Marylebone Cricket Club (51%) | Tech Titans (49%) | 295.92 |
| Manchester Super Giants (Manchester Originals) | Lancashire (30%) | RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (70%) | 115.71 |
| Sunrisers Leeds (Northern Superchargers) | Yorkshire (—) | Sun Group (100%) | 100.00 |
| MI London (Oval Invincibles) | Surrey (51%) | Reliance Industries (49%) | 122.45 |
| Southern Brave | Hampshire (51%) | GMR Group (49%) | 97.96 |
| Trent Rockets | Nottinghamshire (51%) | Cain & Ares (49%) | 81.63 |
| Welsh Fire | Glamorgan (50%) | Washington Freedom (50%) | 67.50 |
One-hundred-ball cricket is a form oflimited overs cricket, played by two teams each playing a singleinnings made up of 100balls.[33] Games last approximately two and a half hours.[34]
TheLaws of Cricket apply in The Hundred, with some major exceptions:[35]
Eight city-based teams compete during theschool summer holidays. All men's and women's matches are held on the same day at the same grounds. In total, there are 32 matches in the league stage of the tournament. Each team plays four matches at home and four matches away. This includes one match against every other team and then a second bonus match against their nearest regional rivals.[36]
The team that finishes top of the league progresses straight into the final. The teams finishing second and third compete in the Eliminator (or semi-final), with the winner progressing into the final.[37]
The Hundred trophies for both the men's and women's tournaments were designed and made by London-based goldsmiths and silversmithsThomas Lyte. Originally commissioned in 2019, the two identical trophies were produced simultaneously.[38] They stand at a height of 56 cm and weigh 13 kg. The identical nature of the trophies is symbolic of theECB's drive for equality in the sport ofcricket, with the prize fund for the competition split equally between the men's and women's tournaments.[39]
The naming process of the teams went through several reported changes; the tournament was described the ECB as the City T20 into 2017,[40] but by 2018 there were rumours the teams would not be named after cities, counties or venues.[41]
In May 2019, six team names were announced, revealing a mix of city and non-city names: Birmingham Phoenix, Leeds Superchargers, London Spirit, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.[42] During the summer, it was announced that the team based at Old Trafford would be the Manchester Originals,[43] the second London team would be known as the Oval Invincibles and Leeds Superchargers had changed their name to Northern Superchargers.[44]
In 2025, the investment from the IPL brought name changes. In August, it was reported that the Originals would become the Manchester Super Giants.[45] In November, it was formally announced that the Superchargers had changed their name to Sunrisers Leeds.[45] In December, the Invincibles became MI London.[46]
| Season | Date | Venue | Winner | Winning margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 August | Lord's,London | Oval Invincibles | 48 runs Scorecard | Southern Brave |
| 2022 | 3 September | 5 wickets Scorecard | |||
| 2023 | 27 August | Southern Brave | 34 runs Scorecard | Northern Superchargers | |
| 2024 | 18 August | London Spirit | 4 wickets Scorecard | Welsh Fire | |
| 2025 | 31 August | Northern Superchargers | 7 wickets Scorecard | Southern Brave |
| Season | Date | Venue | Winner | Winning margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 August | Lord's,London | Southern Brave | 32 runs Scorecard | Birmingham Phoenix |
| 2022 | 3 September | Trent Rockets | 2 wickets Scorecard | Manchester Originals | |
| 2023 | 27 August | Oval Invincibles | 14 runs Scorecard | ||
| 2024 | 18 August | 17 runs Scorecard | Southern Brave | ||
| 2025 | 31 August | 26 runs Scorecard | Trent Rockets |
All games are televised bySky Sports, with theBBC also showing 10 men's and 8 women's gamesfree-to-air.[40][10]
In Germany,Sky Sport streamed the initial tournament on their website. They used the signal from Sky Sports UK.[48]
|
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These totals only include completedinnings. They also exclude innings where the number of balls to be bowled is reduced, usually because of rain. Successful low scoringrun-chases are also excluded.
|
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|
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| Score | Player | Team | Opposition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101* | Will Smeed | Birmingham Phoenix | Southern Brave | Edgbaston | 10 August 2022 | [55] |
| 108* | Will Jacks | Oval Invincibles | Southern Brave | The Oval | 14 August 2022 | [56] |
| 118 | Tammy Beaumont | Welsh Fire | Trent Rockets | Sophia Gardens | 14 August 2023 | [57][58][59] |
| 105* | Harry Brook | Northern Superchargers | Welsh Fire | Headingley | 22 August 2023 | [60][61] |
| 101 | Davina Perrin | Northern Superchargers | London Spirit | The Oval | 30 August 2025 | [62] |
|
|
| Bowler | Team | Opponent | Figures | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imran Tahir | Birmingham Phoenix | Welsh Fire | 5/25 | Edgbaston | 9 August 2021 | [68] |
| Alana King | Trent Rockets | Manchester Originals | 4/15 | Old Trafford | 13 August 2022 | [69] |
| Shabnim Ismail | Welsh Fire | Birmingham Phoenix | 3/31 | Edgbaston | 10 August 2023 | [70] |
| Tymal Mills | Southern Brave | Welsh Fire | 4/13 | Sophia Gardens | 12 August 2023 | [71] |
| Sam Curran | Oval Invincibles | London Spirit | 5/16 | Lord’s | 4 August 2024 | [72] |
| Kathryn Bryce | Manchester Originals | Northern Superchargers | 5/12 | Old Trafford | 11 August 2024 | [73] |
| Sonny Baker | Manchester Originals | Northern Superchargers | 3/21 | Old Trafford | 17 August 2025 | [74] |
| Year | Men's salary cap | Women's salary cap | Notes & references |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £800,000 | £120,000 | [a] |
| 2022 | £1,000,000 | £250,000 | [b] |
| 2023 | £1,000,000 | £250,000 | [c] |
| 2024 | £1,000,000 | £350,000 | [d] |
| 2025 | £1,403,000 | £430,000 | [e] |
| 2026 | £2,050,000 | £880,000 | [f] |
The decision to create an entirely new format of cricket, with teams based in just seven major cities, has split opinion amongst cricket fans.[80]
Some current England players have been positive about The Hundred. England'sTestcaptain at the time,Joe Root, welcomed the ECB's plans, believing it would attract a completely new audience to the game.[81] ODI and T20 captainEoin Morgan expressed a similar opinion.[82] Former T20 captainStuart Broad said he was hugely optimistic about the new format.[83]Michael Vaughan echoed Broad's comments, believing that it would be an appealing concept to broadcasters, andMichael Atherton stated that while a T20 match is rarely completed in a three-hour window, this can be achieved with The Hundred.[84]
However, formerMCC chiefKeith Bradshaw said he hoped the 100-ball tournament would not be "innovation for innovation's sake", and voiced his concern that the new format would mean that theECB could not exploit the T20 boom.[85] The England and WalesProfessional Cricketers' Association announced that, overall, players were "open-minded" about the tournament.[86] FormerIndian captainVirat Kohli cited concerns about the commercialisation of cricket and was not entirely in favour of the new version of the game.[87]
After the teams and branding was announced,anti-obesity groups criticised the sponsorship from snack food companyKP Snacks.[88]
Social media reaction has also been split. During the player draft on the 20 October 2019, theTwitter hashtag "#OpposeThe100" began trending,[89] with a vocal section of cricket fans dismayed at the format of the competition, particularly fans of counties whose home grounds are not among the eight used by city franchises. Wisden noted that the response on Twitter and Facebook "has usually been cutting" but there has been less negativity on Instagram which is "mainly used by a younger age group".[11]
Women's cricketers have been particularly enthusiastic about the new format and the decision to run both competitions in parallel, with the same prize money, allowing many to turn professional for the first time.[90]
At the conclusion of the inaugural season, it was revealed that 55% of tickets were bought by people who had never bought one before, and that several records were set with regards to television viewing and match attendance figures, particularly for the women's matches. Former England women's captainCharlotte Edwards said that the tournament had "single-handedly changed women's cricket in this country".[91]
At the conclusion of the second season, it was announced that ticket sales had remained relatively stable at 500,000 but that viewing figures from broadcast had dropped by around 2 million compared to the inaugural season, from just over 16 million to 14 million.[92]
The format of the tournament may be changed to T20 format as English and Welsh cricket continues to debate the tournament's future following top-level discussions over the prospect of opening it up to private investment.[93]
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