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BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
The final year of The Hundred as we know it?
It's that time of year school holidays have begun, football's transfer window is in full flow and a month of 100-ball cricket awaits us as The Hundred returns for its fifth year from 5-31 it comes the inevitable debate about the competition, its merits, flaws and place within English cricket, pored over discussions have gone on since the tournament's inception - long before a ball was even bowled - and it has reached the point where familiarity with the various arguments is almost don't get too comfortable because the discourse is about to change - or, more likely, just continue with a host of new elements of stakes in six of the eight teams to private investors have now been confirmed, while deals for Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets "remain on track"."We're entering an exciting new phase and a seminal moment for cricket in England and Wales," says England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Thompson. Expansion, IPL influence & end of double-headers? Change is coming much - and exactly what that change looks like - remains to be seen but what we do know is that until the ECB's broadcast deal with Sky finishes at the end of the 2028 season, no more teams will be with Vikram Banerjee, managing director of The Hundred, saying in February that expanding the competition in future was a "no-brainer", additional franchises is one significant change highly likely to be considered at some number of teams might not differ but come next year, some may have new the deals for stakes in Invincibles and Rockets be rubber-stamped, four Hundred sides will be at least partially influenced by Indian Premier League (IPL) Sun Group, owner of IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, has paid just over £100m for a 100% stake in Northern company RPSG Group, which owns Lucknow Super Giants, has purchased 70% of Manchester Originals, while GMR Group, which owns Delhi Capitals, has bought 49% in Southern Industries Limited, owned by the multi-billionaire Ambani family who control Mumbai Indians, is also set to purchase a 49% stake in Oval ECB has already received applications for the names of Superchargers and Originals to be external say RPSG Group plan to bring the latter in line with their teams in Lucknow and Durban by renaming them Manchester Super Giants before the 2026 would be no surprise to see Invincibles, Superchargers and Brave go the same the templates they've used in franchise leagues in South Africa, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, it could be a warm welcome to MI Oval, Sunrisers Northern and Southern salaries have increased for this year's tournament, with the top men's players now earning up to £200,000, up by 60%, while leading women's salaries have risen 30% to £65, with fresh investment, there is the potential for further increases to help attract the world's best short-form players - something the men's tournament has struggled with amid competition from the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket in recent the current draft system with something closer to the IPL auction might enable that, and the ECB announcing a new The Hundred Board - which will include representatives of the investors and host counties - with "delegated authority" over player salaries and the draft, opens the door to that ECB does still own the competition itself and have control over the regulations and length of the window in which it is if their new partners push to ditch the 100-ball format, played solely in the UK, in favour of the globally popular T20, or want six weeks rather than four following a future expansion, tough decisions - guaranteed to be unpopular with one group or another - will have to be ECB chief executive Richard Gould has hinted "de-coupling" some women's and men's matches will be have been the norm since The Hundred began in 2021 and Gould says a capacity crowd for a women's game is a target within "the next couple of years". Stars turn out for The Hundred 1.0's last dance With double-headers still on the agenda this year and new shareholders not taking operational control until 1 October, we're set for one more summer of The Hundred as we know signings, brought in for the first time this year, enabled teams to secure one overseas player prior to the draft and the result is the addition of a plethora of big Australia captains Steve Smith and Meg Lanning will get their first taste of The Hundred, with Welsh Fire and Oval Invincibles Aussie, David Warner, will also debut in the competition, playing for London Spirit, where he will be skippered by New Zealand star Kane men's champions Invincibles have bolstered their side with the addition of Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the top T20 wicket-taker of all legend James Anderson is set to experience franchise cricket for the first time at the age of 43 after earning a wildcard pick from the his Lancashire team-mate Rocky Flintoff, 26 years Anderson's junior, has been selected by Superchargers, where his father Andrew is head champions Spirit will be captained by Charlie Dean in the absence of the injured Heather Knight, with England seamer Issy Wong among their new South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt has swapped Manchester for Southampton as she joins Brave following two years at Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr replaces Wolvaardt at Old expectation may be The Hundred 2.0 will provide more star quality and IPL-style glitz and glamour, but there will be no shortage of talent on display as the original prepares for its last dance.
North Wales Chronicle
31-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
The Hundred set for change as new season approaches
After several months of detailed negotiations the England and Wales Cricket Board have finally confirmed the sale of stakes in six of the eight franchises. The two remaining deals, for Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles, are also inching closer to the line, with ECB chiefs confident they will soon be signed off. A warm welcome to our new team partners! 🩷 #TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) July 30, 2025 A total of £520million is being ploughed in to the sport and on Thursday the governing body began the process of sharing the spoils, with each of the 18 first-class counties receiving a £400,000 down payment with the promise of plenty more to come. Hosts can expect a minimum of £18m, a figure Yorkshire, Lancashire and Glamorgan have already topped up to varying degrees by selling portions of their own stake, with non-hosts set to receive around £25m. And with the new money comes a new chapter for the competition. The fifth edition, which starts next week, will be the last before a radical overhaul. The ECB expect at least three of the teams to be rebranded, with Manchester Originals set to align with Lucknow Super Giants, Northern Superchargers tied up with Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Oval Invincibles likely to become the latest team in the 'MI' stable affiliated to Mumbai Indians. In addition, there is an acceptance that the 100-ball format is up for debate. While the reduction in playing time has appealed to domestic broadcasters, it has not caught on in other territories and there is an appetite to explore reverting to a standard T20 structure. Other matters, including increased salary caps and a move from a draft system to an auction, will also be looked at with a newly-formed Hundred board sending any recommendations to the ECB board for approval. Vikram Banerjee, managing director of the Hundred, said: 'It would be slightly odd to bring all these great people in and leave it as it is. 'There are things the tournament has done brilliantly that we want to hold on to, and the core DNA of the tournament will carry on, but we'll look to supercharge it. 'You want to see innovation and growth in new things. Other people will have great ideas and I'm looking forward to seeing what they are. '(Moving to T20) is one of the things that will be discussed. At the moment it's the Hundred format and that will remain for now but let's see where we get to in the long term.' ECB chief executive Richard Gould also made it clear that if a global Champions League gets off the ground, the governing body would be keen to send the winner of the Hundred rather than a county from the Vitality Blast. 'There might be some pushback, but that's a debate to be had,' he said. 'If there's a Champions League format it would be a Hundred team going forward. Of course we'd want to be involved at the earliest opportunity.'
South Wales Guardian
31-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
The Hundred set for change as new season approaches
After several months of detailed negotiations the England and Wales Cricket Board have finally confirmed the sale of stakes in six of the eight franchises. The two remaining deals, for Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles, are also inching closer to the line, with ECB chiefs confident they will soon be signed off. A warm welcome to our new team partners! 🩷 #TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) July 30, 2025 A total of £520million is being ploughed in to the sport and on Thursday the governing body began the process of sharing the spoils, with each of the 18 first-class counties receiving a £400,000 down payment with the promise of plenty more to come. Hosts can expect a minimum of £18m, a figure Yorkshire, Lancashire and Glamorgan have already topped up to varying degrees by selling portions of their own stake, with non-hosts set to receive around £25m. And with the new money comes a new chapter for the competition. The fifth edition, which starts next week, will be the last before a radical overhaul. The ECB expect at least three of the teams to be rebranded, with Manchester Originals set to align with Lucknow Super Giants, Northern Superchargers tied up with Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Oval Invincibles likely to become the latest team in the 'MI' stable affiliated to Mumbai Indians. In addition, there is an acceptance that the 100-ball format is up for debate. While the reduction in playing time has appealed to domestic broadcasters, it has not caught on in other territories and there is an appetite to explore reverting to a standard T20 structure. Other matters, including increased salary caps and a move from a draft system to an auction, will also be looked at with a newly-formed Hundred board sending any recommendations to the ECB board for approval. Vikram Banerjee, managing director of the Hundred, said: 'It would be slightly odd to bring all these great people in and leave it as it is. 'There are things the tournament has done brilliantly that we want to hold on to, and the core DNA of the tournament will carry on, but we'll look to supercharge it. 'You want to see innovation and growth in new things. Other people will have great ideas and I'm looking forward to seeing what they are. '(Moving to T20) is one of the things that will be discussed. At the moment it's the Hundred format and that will remain for now but let's see where we get to in the long term.' ECB chief executive Richard Gould also made it clear that if a global Champions League gets off the ground, the governing body would be keen to send the winner of the Hundred rather than a county from the Vitality Blast. 'There might be some pushback, but that's a debate to be had,' he said. 'If there's a Champions League format it would be a Hundred team going forward. Of course we'd want to be involved at the earliest opportunity.'
Leader Live
31-07-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
The Hundred set for change as new season approaches
After several months of detailed negotiations the England and Wales Cricket Board have finally confirmed the sale of stakes in six of the eight franchises. The two remaining deals, for Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles, are also inching closer to the line, with ECB chiefs confident they will soon be signed off. A warm welcome to our new team partners! 🩷 #TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) July 30, 2025 A total of £520million is being ploughed in to the sport and on Thursday the governing body began the process of sharing the spoils, with each of the 18 first-class counties receiving a £400,000 down payment with the promise of plenty more to come. Hosts can expect a minimum of £18m, a figure Yorkshire, Lancashire and Glamorgan have already topped up to varying degrees by selling portions of their own stake, with non-hosts set to receive around £25m. And with the new money comes a new chapter for the competition. The fifth edition, which starts next week, will be the last before a radical overhaul. The ECB expect at least three of the teams to be rebranded, with Manchester Originals set to align with Lucknow Super Giants, Northern Superchargers tied up with Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Oval Invincibles likely to become the latest team in the 'MI' stable affiliated to Mumbai Indians. In addition, there is an acceptance that the 100-ball format is up for debate. While the reduction in playing time has appealed to domestic broadcasters, it has not caught on in other territories and there is an appetite to explore reverting to a standard T20 structure. Other matters, including increased salary caps and a move from a draft system to an auction, will also be looked at with a newly-formed Hundred board sending any recommendations to the ECB board for approval. Vikram Banerjee, managing director of the Hundred, said: 'It would be slightly odd to bring all these great people in and leave it as it is. 'There are things the tournament has done brilliantly that we want to hold on to, and the core DNA of the tournament will carry on, but we'll look to supercharge it. 'You want to see innovation and growth in new things. Other people will have great ideas and I'm looking forward to seeing what they are. '(Moving to T20) is one of the things that will be discussed. At the moment it's the Hundred format and that will remain for now but let's see where we get to in the long term.' ECB chief executive Richard Gould also made it clear that if a global Champions League gets off the ground, the governing body would be keen to send the winner of the Hundred rather than a county from the Vitality Blast. 'There might be some pushback, but that's a debate to be had,' he said. 'If there's a Champions League format it would be a Hundred team going forward. Of course we'd want to be involved at the earliest opportunity.'
Glasgow Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
The Hundred set for change as new season approaches
After several months of detailed negotiations the England and Wales Cricket Board have finally confirmed the sale of stakes in six of the eight franchises. The two remaining deals, for Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles, are also inching closer to the line, with ECB chiefs confident they will soon be signed off. A warm welcome to our new team partners! 🩷 #TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) July 30, 2025 A total of £520million is being ploughed in to the sport and on Thursday the governing body began the process of sharing the spoils, with each of the 18 first-class counties receiving a £400,000 down payment with the promise of plenty more to come. Hosts can expect a minimum of £18m, a figure Yorkshire, Lancashire and Glamorgan have already topped up to varying degrees by selling portions of their own stake, with non-hosts set to receive around £25m. And with the new money comes a new chapter for the competition. The fifth edition, which starts next week, will be the last before a radical overhaul. The ECB expect at least three of the teams to be rebranded, with Manchester Originals set to align with Lucknow Super Giants, Northern Superchargers tied up with Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Oval Invincibles likely to become the latest team in the 'MI' stable affiliated to Mumbai Indians. In addition, there is an acceptance that the 100-ball format is up for debate. While the reduction in playing time has appealed to domestic broadcasters, it has not caught on in other territories and there is an appetite to explore reverting to a standard T20 structure. Southern Brave head out to bat during The Hundred Men's Final at Lord's, London. Picture date: Sunday August 18, 2024. Other matters, including increased salary caps and a move from a draft system to an auction, will also be looked at with a newly-formed Hundred board sending any recommendations to the ECB board for approval. Vikram Banerjee, managing director of the Hundred, said: 'It would be slightly odd to bring all these great people in and leave it as it is. 'There are things the tournament has done brilliantly that we want to hold on to, and the core DNA of the tournament will carry on, but we'll look to supercharge it. 'You want to see innovation and growth in new things. Other people will have great ideas and I'm looking forward to seeing what they are. '(Moving to T20) is one of the things that will be discussed. At the moment it's the Hundred format and that will remain for now but let's see where we get to in the long term.' ECB chief executive Richard Gould says England prospective Champions League representative would come from the Hundred (John Walton/PA) ECB chief executive Richard Gould also made it clear that if a global Champions League gets off the ground, the governing body would be keen to send the winner of the Hundred rather than a county from the Vitality Blast. 'There might be some pushback, but that's a debate to be had,' he said. 'If there's a Champions League format it would be a Hundred team going forward. Of course we'd want to be involved at the earliest opportunity.'
