By Rex Clementine
The Hundred is just a week away and the fourth edition of the tournament has several innovations that are already being tried out to woo in new fan bases. ECB’s decision to invite private investments for The Hundred could make things even more interesting and by 2025 we could see big IPL owners joining English cricket. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and a few other IPL franchises already have franchise interests outside India, but breaking into the British market will be quite a deal.
For the current event though increase of salaries in the women’s event is a major talking point that is set to send interest levels to an all-time high. There’s healthy participation among women in cricket and this initiative will attract more girls to play the game.
Rules have been twisted this year as well with teams allowed to retain players in their team. While women’s teams are allowed to retain up to eight players, men’s teams can keep back up to ten players.
The return of Ben Stokes will also cheer up the fans. The England captain hasn’t featured in The Hundred since 2021. ECB had been cautious about their star player’s workload but now he has been cleared to play the second half of the competition and the knockouts if Northern Superchargers go on to qualify. What this means is that Stokes will work with another outstanding England all-rounder and captain – Andrew Flintoff, coach of Superchargers.
One drawback is that with The Hundred getting away on 23rd July, England’s leading stars will not be available as they are engaged in the Test series against West Indies. Many other overseas stars will also miss the starting stages of the competition as they are in the United States playing Major League Cricket.
The ECB introduced T-20 cricket in 2002 in a bid to attract new fans. It was a resounding success. Likewise, they have made steady progress with The Hundred and it remains to be seen where it will end up.
The Hundred is similar to T-20 but has its own uniqueness. It’s called The Hundred because each innings comprises 100 balls. One major difference is there’s no six ball overs and change of ends happen after ten deliveries. A bowler can be changed after five balls or ten straight balls.
Eight teams are competing in the tournament and the 32 games are spread across all over England. Added to that is the two knockout games; the Eliminator and the Final. The team that tops the league stage goes through to the final at Lord’s on the 18th August. The second and third placed teams play the eliminator and the winner qualifies for the final.
The men’s s event has been won by three different teams – Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Oval Invincibles. In the women’s category, Oval Invincibles won back-to-back titles before Southern Brave won last year.
