The Hundred confirms major revamp ahead of 2026 season with £2m boost
The Hundred is set to look slightly different ahead of the 2026 season after the ECB confirmed a number of changes to the 100-ball tournament before the latest edition
The ECB have announced that the 2026 edition of The Hundred will undergo a revamp including a historic player auction. The tournament has so far been running for five editions to varying responses.
And in an effort to drum up some more interest, the ECB have confirmed that some major changes will come into force this year. It was announced that an inaugural player auction will be held in March to allow teams to welcome new faces to their sides.
This will see The Hundred move away from its previous selection method and swap it out for a similar technique used in the Indian Premier League. The new system will see teams bid for players including four overseas representatives.
Teams will be allowed between 16 to 18 players in their squads. They are also allowed four pre-auction signings from mid-November to the end of January. The Wildcard Draft will remain in place so teams can reward impressive domestic form with two final selections in June.
"These changes will help us make the competition even better, ensuring we get the best players in the world and improving the standard of cricket and level of entertainment further again," said Vikram Banerjee, managing director of The Hundred.
READ MORE: Cricketers warned of looming 'emergency' as MCC demand action on overlooked topicREAD MORE: Australia turn to controversial former captain as Pat Cummins injury blow confirmed"Working alongside our new partners we've been exploring how we can take The Hundred forward and we've decided that moving to an auction will allow us to improve the competition."
Away from the new auction approach, men’s teams are also set to benefit from changes to the salary cap. A new total salary pot exceeding £2million is available for teams in the men’s game.
Teams however will still be required to operate under a salary cap and a salary collar - basically a minimum spending requirement. A statement from the ECB read: "The overall salary pot in The Hundred men's competition will increase 45 per cent for the 2026 season, rising to £2.05 million per team.
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"The overall salary pot in The Hundred women's competition will increase 100 per cent for the 2026 season, rising to £880,000 per team.
"The increase to the salary pot in The Hundred women's competition will also see the base price salaries for the lowest-paid player increase considerably to £15,000, up by 50 per cent."
The Oval Invincibles won the men’s edition of The Hundred 2025, while Northern Superchargers Women were also successful.
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