The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly keen on changing The Hundred, a unique format where both teams play 100 balls each, to the conventional Twenty20 format. The board aims to implement this change when the next television rights cycle begins in 2028.
According to The Guardian, the ECB is moving forward with proposals to switch The Hundred to a Twenty20 format but intends to retain the competition’s name.
The existing deal with broadcaster Sky Sports is the reason this change cannot be implemented until at least 2028.
Any alteration to the playing conditions would need the backing of the ECB’s TV rights partner, Sky Sports, which was skeptical when the idea was initially proposed last year.
Sky has pledged to invest £375 million in The Hundred over nine seasons until 2028, making them hesitant to approve a reversal. However, retaining the competition’s name might be sufficient to secure their support in a compromise agreement.
Last year, it was revealed that The Hundred incurred a loss of £9 million (US$11.2 million) in its first two years.
A financial report on English cricket by Fanos Hira, chairman of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, and the new ECB chairman Richard Thompson, indicated that the competition has cost about £60 million (US$74.9 million) since its inception.
Despite this, sources close to the ECB insist that The Hundred is here to stay, with no plans to abandon or shut it down. “Our plan is to grow the competition and build on its success, whatever the format,” a source told The Guardian. The ECB believes that keeping the competition’s name is important, but acknowledges the global popularity of the T20 format, especially with its inclusion in the Olympics from 2028.
Currently, The Hundred has eight city-based franchises, with plans to sell stakes in these franchises later this year. The fourth edition of the competition begins on July 23.
