Inside The Hundred’s £2m Revolution: Auctions, IPL Owners and a Bigger 2026 Vision

The 2026 rebranded edition of The Hundred, starting July 21, is expected to become bigger and better. 

The purse in the competition has increased by 45 percent to £2.05m per side among the men. On the other hand, the women’s teams have seen a 100 percent rise to £880,000.

The privatisation of the tournament, with investment from Indian Premier League owners and an IPL-style auction, a first in any major UK sport, deepened the pockets of the players and the stakeholders. Earlier, there was a draft system to pick cricketers.

Three teams, Manchester Originals, Oval Invincibles, and Northern Superchargers, have undergone name changes. They will now be known as the Manchester Super Giants, MI London, and Sunrisers Leeds, with each new name reflecting ties to the IPL franchises that have bought stakes. Southern Brave, linked to the Delhi Capitals, have opted to retain their existing identity.

STRATEGIC AND WELL-PLANNED

The auction has given franchises the freedom to strategise more deliberately, allowing them to build squads based on both their tactical needs and available budgets, marking one of the most significant changes this season.

Dan Weston, the data insights manager for the Birmingham Phoenix, who was part of the auction, highlighted the shift. 

"Auctions always have a dramatic impact on the visibility of cricket tournaments, with social media abuzz with discussions on the various decisions of teams and the sale prices of the players. It is an obvious requirement for any short-format franchise league worldwide. Having a higher profile recruitment event will increase excitement levels ahead of the new season and the competition in general," he told SportsBoom.co.uk.

Weston, who provides recruitment and strategy services to cricket teams worldwide, highlighted that The Hundred 2026 has already created a competitive environment from the auction room. 

“Having some of the biggest names in cricket all in a room trying to out-think each other ensures this. It is a high-pressure and competitive environment, as anyone would anticipate. The earlier years had a draft instead of an auction, so I think that the major new aspect of the auction this year was that teams could be much more strategic; if they valued certainty, teams could try and fill their squad quickly, but if they valued flexibility, teams could be cautious early on in the auction," he said, adding: "There weren't the arbitrary price brackets which drafts have, so teams could have a lot more scope to create more of an efficient pricing market rather than overpaying a player simply because they had to use a slot at that stage of a draft."

CRICKET ANALYSTS TO THE FORE

The new season relies more on data-driven insights, squad and player analytics to ensure optimal results. 

"Analysts at different teams will have more or less voice in decisions than others.  Personally, I'm lucky at Birmingham because I have always been part of the management group at the franchise since 2019," he revealed.

"In that role, I worked extremely hard on the auctions, I did both the men's and women's auction for Birmingham Phoenix, and along with our management group, planned and prepared for around five months ahead of the auction.  We left no stone unturned with our preparation. The analysis which goes into that process cannot be underestimated," said Weston, who has earlier worked with Kent Cricket as a senior data analyst, Leicestershire County Cricket Club as a strategy and player recruitment analyst, and Punjab Kings as the auction recruitment analyst in the IPL.

The auctions may have happened for the first time in UK cricket, but player valuation isn't a new phenomenon, given the previous drafts. 

"It is just more brutal and perhaps more top-heavy in terms of valuations in auctions," he said, adding, "The Hundred is going to be bigger and better. The investment in the tournament plus the introduction of IPL ownership groups makes this a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Birmingham Phoenix's men's side, to be led by Jacob Bethell, signed Pakistan mystery spinner, Usman Tariq, for £140,000, an interesting pick from the pool. They also picked destructive Proteas batter Donovan Ferreira for £210,000. Linsey Smith was an interesting pick among the women for £100,000.

Overall, Sussex all-rounder James Coles was the most expensive buy at the men's auction as London Spirit signed him for £390,000. Beth Mooney of Australia and Sophie Devine of New Zealand were signed for £210,000 by Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire, respectively.

Dani Gibson became the highest-paid Englishwoman by securing a £190,000 deal with Sunrisers Leeds.

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