The Hundred has managed to attract top Indian Premier League (IPL) sides, which have made their investments in the tournament. And as the new edition starts next week, the England and Wales Board (ECB) clarified that for now, there is no plan to switch to the standard T20 format.
“You have to look at what works in this country. There have been some discussions around it, but in this country, the format has provided us with some really interesting things, especially from a broadcast perspective in terms of the reach it’s provided and that ability to create a new crowd,” said Vikram Banerjee, Managing Director of The Hundred.
“At the moment, it’s the 100 format, and that will remain for now. But let’s see where we get to in a month.”
Of the eight teams in The Hundred, four will be partially owned by owners of Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and GMR Group, which is the co-owner of Delhi Capitals. On Wednesday, the ECB finalised the deals with the investors. The Reliance Group, which will own 49 per cent of the London-based Oval franchise, and the Trent Rockets are yet to close agreements with the ECB.
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“The growth and the learnings, both on the field and off the field, that they can bring into this tournament, with the balance of the other investors that we’ve got from America and wherever else, I’m really excited about that side of things, about the skill sets that are now coming into English cricket,” Banerjee told the media.
The deal will take effect from 2026 season and the investors will take operation control of the franchise from October 1 this year.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould, who also joined the conversation, was asked about the participation of Pakistan players in the tournament in light of Indian investment, as no Pakistan player was picked in the 2025 draft for different reasons.
He stated the ECB will take action if the owners are found to discriminatory in the player selection context, irrespective of his nationality. “We would expect players of all nations to be selected for all teams. I haven’t had the need to have any discussion at this point (with new investors),” he said.
The Hundred will be played from August 5 to 31.
