What has changed for 2026?

There will be a number of changes in The Hundred for 2026 – most notably, the player selection model will shift from a draft to an auction and player salaries will increase.

Squads will be made up of between 16 and 18 players, with four overseas players permitted. There will be a salary collar and a salary cap in place, and multi-year contracts will be introduced.

Teams will be able to sign four players before the auction, via either retention or direct signing. Only overseas or England contracted players can be signed via direct signing.

Who decided on those changes?

The changes pertaining to player selection and salaries have come through The Hundred Playing Working Group, which is comprised of representatives from all 8 teams, the PCA and the ECB. The changes have been ratified by The Hundred Board.

Why have you decided to change models to an auction?

Working alongside our new partners we’ve been exploring how we can take The Hundred forward and we’ve decided that moving to an auction will allow us to improve the competition.

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 equally across the men’s and women’s games.

What are the salary changes for 2026?

The overall salary pot in The Hundred men’s competition will increase 45% for the 2026 season, rising to £2.05m per team.

The overall salary pot in The Hundred women’s competition will increase 100% for the 2026 season, rising to £880,000 per team.

The changes pertaining to player selection and salaries have come through The Hundred Playing Working Group, which is comprised of representatives from all 8 teams, the PCA and the ECB. The changes have been ratified by The Hundred Board.

Why has the men’s salary pot increased by more than the women’s salary pot?

In making the decision to increase both salary pots, 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 equally across the men’s and women’s competitions.

The decision to increase the men’s salary pot by 45% has been taken because market forces in the men’s game necessitate a more significant uplift to ensure we’re able to attract the best players in the world.

The salary pot for the women’s competition in the first year of The Hundred was £120,000, with the top-earning players earning £15,000 – the pot is now at £880,000 with the top-earning players set to earn in the region of £130,000. We remain committed to that growth and making the best decisions for the long-term sustainability of women’s cricket.

Salaries in The Hundred women’s competition are very competitive, and they compare favourably with other franchise cricket competitions and across the landscape of women’s sport.

Salaries have risen for the third year in a row. The 100% increase to the salary pot in The Hundred women’s competition will also see the base price salaries increase by 50%.

How will the auction work?

Teams will be able to directly sign or retain up to four players each from mid-November to late January.

To balance flexibility with fairness, we have opted for a tiered cumulative cap model (IPL style).

The cumulative pre-auction deduction per team is recommended as follows:

Men’s competition - £350k (1 player), £650k (2 players), £850k (3 players), £950k (4 players).

Women’s competition - £130k (1 player), £240k (2 players), £310k (3 players), £360k (4 players). They will then select the rest of their squad at the auction.

When will the auction be?

It is expected the auction will be in March 2026, after a period of time that allows the teams to directly sign or retain up to four players each.

Will there still be a Vitality Wildcard selection process?

Yes. The Vitality Wildcard will remain a part of The Hundred, meaning good form in the Vitality Blast men’s competition and Vitality Blast women’s competition will still be rewarded.