Kmflett's Blog

2026 marks the start of the Hundred Mk2. The teams are now owned by very wealthy franchisers who mostly also own T20 teams elsewhere around the globe (sometimes with the same players).

The teams have in some cases been renamed- MI London at the Oval for example (MI stands for Mumbai Indians an IPL francise) new kit has appeared and in most cases new teams as well with the arrival of an auction.

The womens and mens games Ive looked at are packed full of cricket stars from around the globe and look a lot like exhibition matches. Sometimes entertaining to watch but not something to inspire loyalty (where it existed).

The hype of The Hundred Mk1 on the BBC and Sky has mostly gone. Perhaps because the hype is now the property of the franchisers.

The Sunday Times (26th July) has reported early crowd numbers

The opening games at the Oval, Utilita Bowl, Lords, Edgbaston & Headingley got a total crowd of 77,617 compared to 98,317 in 2025 a 21% decline. These are figures for the men’s game. Attendance for women’s games which are double headers with the men are also down, although tickets cover both

However to prove Bob Dylan’s dialectical conundrum, the slow one now will later be first, the first game at Sophia Gardens was sold out (not something that has previously happened). The Welsh Fire have done well in early games both men and women. In the case of the men’s team only 2 players have survived from the 2025 team

Early days yet but in the words of Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth, there is something happening here