The Hundred confirms major shake up in rule changes for 2026 season.

On Friday the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed new rule changes for the Hundred, and they mirror that of the successful Indian Premier League (IPL). 

One of the most significant changes is that the men's teams will benefit for a enhanced salary pot exceeding $2 Million. This means that the league will should feature more quality spread across the teams. With this, they will also be moving away from it's previous player selection method and trying out the IPL's auction format.

With this new format, teams will bid for players and can include up to four overseas players in their squads. Each squad must have between 16 to 18 players in and must operate under the salary cap, and salary collar which is a minimum spending requirement.

With their new found financial freedom, the Hundred can now position itself among one of the most financially attractive franchise tournaments, only to be topped by the IPL and Indian Women's Premier League.

"The overall salary pot in The Hundred men's competition will increase 45 per cent for the 2026 season, rising to £2.05 million per team," the ECB said in a statement. "The overall salary pot in The Hundred women's competition will increase 100 per cent for the 2026 season, rising to £880,000 per team". 

"The increase to the salary pot in The Hundred women's competition will also see the base price salaries for the lowest-paid player increase considerably to £15,000, up by 50 per cent."

"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," said Vikram Banerjee, managing director of The Hundred.

"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."