The Hundred cricket competition is making a major change for its 2026 season by moving from a draft system to an IPL-style player auction. This change comes with a significant boost in budgets for both the men’s and women’s teams. The decision has been made to attract more top talent and make the tournament more exciting for viewers.
The new system will also include a salary cap, minimum spending requirements for women’s teams, and the introduction of multi-year player contracts.
The managing director of The Hundred, Vikram Banerjee, said: “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 even further.”
According to the new auction system, men’s teams will see their salary budgets increase by 45% to £2.05 million ($2.69 million) per team. Meanwhile, women’s teams will receive a 100% rise to £880,000 ($1.16 million) per team. Minimum salaries for female players will also rise by 50% to £15,000 ($19,600). Each squad will consist of 16–18 players, and teams will now be allowed to include four overseas players, up from the previous limit of three.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will also permit teams to sign up to four players between mid-November and the end of January. Of those four, only three may be signed directly, and those players must be either overseas players or England centrally contracted players.
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