The Hundred, a unique 100-ball tournament held under the supervision of the ECB, has moved to the privatization of its teams and, hence, has announced the first-ever auction to be held in the history of the tournament.
The Indian Premier League marked the start of the auctions in cricket. The other leagues, like the Big Basg League (BBL), The Hundred, and CPL, lacked auctions initially, but slowly they are transforming towards the same objective.
The Hundred is set to host its maiden auction in 2026
The Hundred is all set to host their first auction in March 2026 ahead of the next season of the tournament during the English summer. Along with multi-year contracts, some changes would also be made to the salary pot of the players ahead of the sixth season.
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The squad’s limits have also been set to something around 16 and 18 players, and they have also set some rules for preseason deals as well as player retentions. Alongside the fixed salary, every team will have to spend a minimum amount in the pre-season.
“The salary pot for the women’s competition in the first year of The Hundred was GBP 120,000, with the top-earning players earning GBP 15,000 – the pot has risen for the third year in a row. With the pot now GBP 880,000, top-earning players are set to earn in the region of GBP 130,000, as well as a significant increase in salaries for those at base price,” informed the Hundred director.
The Hundred will host its first auction in March 2026, with the overall salary pots increased for both the men’s and women’s competitions 🚨
In addition to the shift to an auction, squads will be made up of between 16 and 18 players, with four overseas players permitted. pic.twitter.com/ZSAI7CnOeB
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 31, 2025
Pre-season rules set ahead of first-ever Auction
The overall salary limit is considered to go as high as GBP 2.05 million per team in The Hundred Men’s competition, which marks a surge of 45 percent from the previous season. In the Hundred Women’s competition, the salary hike is by 100 percent. In the Women’s leg, the salary purse will be GBP 880,000.
Teams have been allowed up to four pre-auction signings. The time slot for these calls has been from mid-November to the end of January. They can afford a maximum of three of these direct signings, and at least one player needs to be retained. Such players should be centrally contracted with the ECB or should be overseas players.
The Wildcard draft will remain in place; however, there will be no RTM this season.
Vikram Banerjee’s views on changes in The Hundred
Speaking of the massive changes, the managing director of The Hundred, Vikram Banerjee, said, “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.”
“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, and iii) guaranteeing whatever changes we make work across the men’s and women’s games,” he added.
He further added that the decision is to increase the Men’s salary by nearly 45-50 percent, as the market in the Men’s game forces such changes, making them necessary to attract global stars towards the league.
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