The Hundred 2026: A Transformative Year for the Competition
The Hundred 2026 is set to be a pivotal year for the competition, marked by significant changes and a fresh wave of investment. Since the 2025 edition concluded last August, the eight teams have undergone substantial transformations, with new owners injecting substantial financial support.
Four of these teams are now under the ownership of groups also involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, a strategic move that has led to exciting developments. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly, for instance, has taken a 49% stake in the Trent Rockets, adding a new layer of expertise to the team's management.
The influx of new ownership has sparked a wave of creativity, with several teams undergoing name changes to align with their IPL partners. The Northern Superchargers have evolved into Sunrisers Leeds, the Oval Invincibles are now MI London, and the Manchester Originals have become the Manchester Super Giants. These teams have also refreshed their badges and kits, embracing new identities.
While the Southern Brave has retained its name, it has introduced a bold new color scheme, swapping green and black for blue and red. MI London has followed suit, adopting a blue and gold palette, mirroring its IPL counterpart, the Mumbai Indians. London Spirit has also made a change, updating its jerseys to a purple and black design with red and yellow accents.
Sunrisers Leeds has embraced a new look, trading purple and white for orange and black, while Manchester Super Giants is yet to unveil its new shirt but has unveiled a striking red, white, and yellow badge featuring an elephant.
Among the teams that have remained relatively unchanged are Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, and Birmingham Phoenix, with no significant alterations to their badges or shirt color schemes.
The 2026 edition of The Hundred will kick off with a women's competition match between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval on July 21, 2026, at 14:45 BST. This will be followed by a men's match between the same teams later that evening.
The tournament will feature daily matches from July 21 to August 12, culminating in the group stage. On August 14, the eliminator will take place, with the second and third-placed teams from each group competing in a play-off. The winner of this match will face the group stage winners in the final, which will be held on August 16 at Lord's.
The player auction, held in March, saw a surge in investment, allowing teams to pre-sign up to four players each. England white ball captain Harry Brook secured the top spot as the most expensive signing, staying with Sunrisers Leeds for £460,000. England white ball batter Phil Salt joined Welsh Fire for £450,000, while Jofra Archer remained with Southern Brave, having been acquired for £400,000.
Archer is joined by England's Test wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who signed with Southern Brave for £300,000. English all-rounder James Coles broke the record for the most expensive Hundred signing from the auction, joining London Spirit for £390,000. England wicket-keeper Jordan Cox signed with Welsh Fire for £300,000.
Former England Test captain Joe Root joined Welsh Fire for £240,000, while England white-ball spinner Adil Rashid was acquired by Southern Brave for £250,000. England pace bowlers Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson signed with Manchester Super Giants for £200,000 and £70,000, respectively.
In the women's competition, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell were the joint-most expensive retention signings at £140,000 each. All-rounder Sciver-Brunt stays with Trent Rockets, while Lauren Bell remains with Southern Brave. England all-rounder Alice Capsey has joined Birmingham Phoenix, sold for £130,000 in the retentions round.
India batter Smriti Mandhana, returning after a one-year break, has joined Manchester Super Giants for £90,000, alongside England spinner Sophie Ecclestone, retained at £110,000. New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine and Australia wicket-keeper Beth Mooney recorded the most expensive women's signings, joining Welsh Fire and Trent Rockets for £210,000 each.
England fast bowler Issy Wong signed with Southern Brave for £130,000, joining England spinners Tilly Cooper-Coleman and Sarah Glenn, who were signed for £105,000 and £75,000, respectively. Batter Tammy Beaumont, who recently retired from international cricket, was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for £70,000.
The BBC will provide extensive coverage of the tournament, including 16 live matches on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Isa Guha, Alex Hartley, and Amber Sandhu will present the coverage, with Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, and Phil Tufnell returning as pundits. New faces include England Test opener Emilio Gay and seamer Mark Wood, while former India batter Ajinkya Rahane and New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin will also be involved.
World Cup-winners Tymal Mills, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Dawid Malan, Amanda Jade-Wellington, and Carlos Brathwaite will contribute to the coverage. There will be ball-by-ball audio commentary on all 68 matches on BBC Sounds, with extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra.
The BBC Sport website and app will offer reports on every game and daily video highlights. Live text commentary and in-play video clips will be available on the Eliminator and finals. On social media, the BBC Cricket Instagram account will feature the best moments, and the BBC Cricket WhatsApp channel will keep fans updated.
BBC Sport's YouTube channel will showcase highlights, and a new feature, 'Ravi meets,' will introduce a partially-sighted cricket fan who gained popularity on BBC Sport's social channels in 2025. The tournament will be broadcast on BBC TV, with times subject to change (women's game first, then men's).
The schedule includes matches like MI London vs. Sunrisers Leeds on July 21, Southern Brave vs. Welsh Fire on July 22, and Trent Rockets vs. London Spirit on July 26. The tournament culminates in the finals on August 16, with a double-header at Lord's.
