The Cricket Hundred in 2026. Big Business takes complete control
Always a controversial cricket competition The Hundred in 2026 will now be shaped by the private investors who have bought significant shares in the teams.
A BBC report below underlines the key points.
Increased salaries for players, particularly in the women’s game can be seen as a positive. However it seems unlikely that many of the players who featured in the Hundred in 2025 will be the recipients of that money.
The second change is to move to an IPL auction system where players are picked by franchises rather than players being associated with existing teams. Of course there are changes between teams each season but the auction system removes autonomy from players to determine where they want to go and gives it to bidders in the auction.
That will almost certainly mean the break up of existing Hundred teams with whatever limited identity they have managed to build up.
Big money is trumping over sport here but many might say that this was always the aim of the Hundred
BBC Report
The Hundred will launch a player auction and significantly increase salaries for the 2026 season, following private investment into the competition.
Players were previously allocated to sides via a draft with a set of salary tiers, but will now have their team and pay set by an auction that will take place in March.
The salary pot in the men’s competition will rise by 45% to £2.05m per side, and the fund for women’s teams will increase by 100% to £880,000.
The minimum salary for a female player also rise by 50% to £15,000, while the number of overseas players permitted in both competitions increases from three to four.
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