What's New in 2026

If you blinked during the off-season, you may not recognise the competition formerly known as The Hundred. Private investment has swept through all eight franchises, but three have undergone full rebrandings. Oval Invincibles — men's champions for three consecutive years — are now MI London, bankrolled by the Ambani family's Mumbai Indians empire. Manchester Originals have become Manchester Super Giants under RPSG Group ownership. And Northern Superchargers have been renamed Sunrisers Leeds by the Sun Group.

The other seismic shift is structural. The player draft is dead; in its place, The Hundred staged its first-ever auction across 11-12 March, with franchises given a salary pot to build squads through retentions, direct signings, and live bidding.

All Eight Teams at a Glance

MI London (The Kia Oval) — The defending men's champions retained Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Rashid Khan before adding Nicholas Pooran. Trent Boult provides new-ball threat, and Ollie Pope at just £31,000 looks a steal.

Manchester Super Giants (Old Trafford) — Jos Buttler captains a squad brimming with star power. Heinrich Klaasen and Noor Ahmad were retained, while Gus Atkinson and Aiden Markram bolster the ranks.

Sunrisers Leeds (Headingley) — Harry Brook and Brydon Carse anchor the squad, with Mitchell Marsh and Abrar Ahmed (£190,000 at auction) offering overseas quality.

London Spirit (Lord's) — Liam Livingstone headlines alongside Adam Zampa and Dewald Brevis. The Spirit broke the bank for James Coles at £390,000 — the most expensive player in the auction.

Birmingham Phoenix (Edgbaston) — Built around Jacob Bethell, with Rehan Ahmed and Mitch Owen. Saqib Mahmood leads the pace attack.

Trent Rockets (Trent Bridge) — Ben Duckett and Tom Banton provide explosive batting, with Tim David (£350,000) offering middle-overs muscle.

Welsh Fire (Sophia Gardens) — Phil Salt and Joe Root bat alongside Rachin Ravindra, Chris Woakes leads the bowling, and Marco Jansen (£250,000) adds pace.

Southern Brave (The Ageas Bowl) — Jofra Archer's retention is the headline, but Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller make this a packed squad.

Key Signings to Watch

James Coles' £390,000 price tag makes the 21-year-old Sussex all-rounder the tournament's most expensive player. Heinrich Klaasen's retention at Manchester Super Giants is arguably the shrewdest business — the South African is the most destructive middle-order batter in white-ball cricket. And Abrar Ahmed's mystery spin at Sunrisers Leeds could be tailor-made for English conditions in high summer.

Format Reminder

Each innings consists of 100 balls. Bowlers deliver sets of five or ten consecutive balls. Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per match. There is a 25-ball powerplay with only two fielders outside the inner ring. Matches last roughly two and a half hours. Each team plays eight group-stage matches, with Finals Day on 16 August.

Betting Preview

Early indicators suggest MI London and Manchester Super Giants will be the sides to beat. MI London's combination of Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Nicholas Pooran gives them match-winners in every phase. The Super Giants' retention of Klaasen and Buttler makes them formidable.

Welsh Fire look the value pick at longer odds. Salt, Root, Jansen, Woakes, and Ferguson represent a squad with no obvious weakness.

Women's Hundred

Salary pots have doubled to £880,000 per team. Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney were the joint-highest earners at £210,000 each. Sunrisers Leeds defend the title, while Birmingham Phoenix have assembled a squad around Ellyse Perry, Alice Capsey, and Lauren Filer. Manchester Super Giants boast Sophie Ecclestone and Meg Lanning.

The season opens with a double-header at The Kia Oval on 21 July.