The Hundred, England and Wales Cricket Board's innovative 100-ball tournament, is set to begin its 2026 season on Tuesday, 23rd July, with a dramatically altered landscape. This year marks a significant shift in the tournament's structure, as all eight teams are now independently owned, moving away from the previous central ownership model by the ECB. The host counties were given the option to sell all or part of their teams to external buyers, leading to a wave of privatisation and investment.
This new era for The Hundred sees several teams acquired by established Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, bringing with them new identities and substantial financial backing. The opening match in London on Tuesday will feature two such teams: MI London and Sunrisers Leeds, facing off at The Oval. Sunrisers Leeds, formerly known as Northern Superchargers, exemplifies this transformation. Following a reported £100 million takeover by The Sun Group, the Headingley-based side has rebranded to align with IPL's Sunrisers Hyderabad, complete with a new bright orange kit.
The impact of this privatisation is most immediately felt by the players, particularly in the women's game, through a notable increase in salaries. Seamer Grace Ballinger, who recently won the T20 Blast title with The Blaze, highlights this benefit, stating her salary for The Hundred has risen from £16,000 last year to £42,500 for the current season. Beyond finances, the day-to-day management of the teams has also shifted from central ECB oversight to the independent franchises, influencing aspects such as kit suppliers and operational decisions.
However, the changes extend beyond ownership and salaries to the very composition of the teams. Many established brands and squads built over the past few years have been rapidly transformed or entirely dismantled. Sunrisers Leeds, for instance, despite their women's side reaching the final in 2023 and winning the title in 2025 as Northern Superchargers, did not purchase a single player from that championship-winning squad in the 2026 auction. They opted to build an entirely new roster around three retained players.
Ballinger herself has experienced this player movement, crossing the Pennines to join Manchester Super Giants (formerly Manchester Originals) after being picked up in the auction. She expresses excitement about playing for the Old Trafford side and working under experienced Australian coaches, Matthew Mott and captain Meg Lanning. Mott, a former coach of the successful Australian women's team and England men's white-ball side during their 2022 T20 World Cup win, and Lanning, a seven-time World Cup-winning captain, are expected to bring considerable expertise to the new-look Manchester squad.