What next for the Hundred as it moves into 2026?

Launched back in 2021, the Hundred was an innovation by the English Cricket Board to introduce franchise cricket to the domestic game, with plenty of critics lining up to question both its compatibility and suitability.

Moving away from the tried and tested county system, the Hundred saw cricket in England and Wales regionalised into 8 teams, replicating a model used to great success in both India and Australia.

The key talking point at the time was the decision to move away from traditional Twenty 20 cricket and to bring in a new format – with teams battling it out in 100 ball matches and it has become a staple offering for both international and UK cricket bookies.

Change in top level sport always pinches a little but despite plenty of initial scepticism, the tournament has now enjoyed 5 successful years, and the backing of the ECB is waning as planned.

With the 2025 incarnation of the tournament in full flow, competition planners are naturally looking forward to the future and how each of the eight teams involved will fare as standalone franchises.

Investment potential

The landscape of sports investment has changed rapidly over the past few years, with big names from all walks of life seeing the potential in backing sports teams.

Success on the field of play can generate income but increased exposure, broadcasting deals and social media presence all play a role in the development of a profitable and marketable sports team.

With the Hundred now very much viewed as the flagship event in domestic cricket, in both the men’s and women’s game, outside investors are seeing the potential in each of the eight franchises.

Regional interest is of course inevitable when it comes to who chooses to back a team and with each side enjoying strong crowd attendances, growth within the Hundred as a competition has been visible year on year.

How will the Hundred look in 2026?

The initial 5-year plan laid out by the ECB back in 2021 was for each of the eight teams involved to be privately owned by 2026 and this looks to be a more than achievable goal.

Welsh Fire have been acquired by Washington Freedom’s owners, while the Sun Group (owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL), paid £100m to run operations at the Northern Superchargers.

Another IPL behemoth in the Lucknow Super Giants have splashed out to add the Manchester Originals to their roster, while the GMR Group, which owns the Delhi Capitals have invested significantly in Southern Brave.

With talks reportedly ongoing for the likes of the London Spirit and the Oval Invincibles too, the Hundred is set to become part of the global fabric of franchise cricket conglomerates.

Housing some of the biggest names in the game and delivering all-action cricket has been the mantra from the off for the Hundred.

As it moves into its next incarnation, with overseas investment and development, it will be fascinating to see if it holds its status as a staple of the English cricketing calendar.

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