The Hundred to introduce player auction from the 2026 edition, higher salary cap for players decided - Reports

The Hundred 2026 auction will take place in March next year.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that The Hundred will follow a player auction model from the next season, similar to that of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Hundred 2026 will also see an increased salary cap and players will also get multi-year contracts.

The overall salary cap for each team in the men’s competition will be 2.05 Pounds (GBP) in The Hundred 2026, an increase of 45 percent from the last season. The women’s competition will witness a 100 percent increase at 8,80,000 Pounds per team.

The squads for the sixth season can have between 16 to 18 players, with four overseas players allowed in each team. Moreover, there will be a minimum salary cap for players and a salary collar – a minimum amount each team must spend.

Notably, while minimum salaries will be kept in place, there will be no specific salaries set for players, hence, teams can decide how much they want to shell out for any player during the auction. The base price for each player in The Hundred women’s competition will increase by 50 percent to 15,000 pounds.

Moreover, teams will be allowed to pick four players ahead of the auction from the mid-November to mid-January period. Out of these four players, three can be direct signings, which should be England centrally contracted players or overseas players. Moreover, each team will also have to retain a minimum of one player in their squad, which can be an England’s national player, a domestic player or an overseas player.

Out of four pre-auction signups, teams can pick up to two England centrally contracted players and up to two overseas players. The right to match rule will be discarded from the sixth season, however, the Wildcraft Draft will be retained.

The pre-auction deduction per team for The Hundred 2026

Men’s competition – GBP 350,000 (1 signing), GBP 650,000 (2 players), GBP 850,000 (3 players), GBP 950,000 (4 players).

Women’s competition – GBP 130,000 (1 signing), GBP 240,000 (2 players), GBP 310,000 (3 players), GBP 360,000 (4 players).

Managing Director of The Hundred, Vikram Banerjee, feels that these changes will improve the tournament and standard of cricket.

“This is a hugely exciting time for the Hundred. 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,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“In making this decision, we have stuck to three key principles: i) ensuring The Hundred attracts the best players in the world, ii) maintaining a competitive balance between the squads, iii) guaranteeing whatever changes we make work across the men’s and women’s games,” he added.

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