The Hundred, English cricket's 100-ball competition, is wrapping up its sixth season this weekend following a substantial overhaul. This year has seen the introduction of Indian Premier League owners and other investors, including Jude Bellingham, who have acquired stakes in all eight teams.
This 'IPL-ification' has led to team rebrands, with some now known as MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, and Manchester Super Giants. However, the changes have brought mixed results for fan engagement, with overall ticket sales and issued tickets for the tournament reaching 550,000, a decrease of 30,000 from last year's total.
Some venues have experienced significant drops in attendance; for example, Sunrisers Leeds saw an 18% decline in average attendance for men's games at Headingley. Conversely, Welsh Fire recorded their best-ever attendance day in Cardiff, drawing a crowd of 11,796 for MI London's visit. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) attributes the overall drop to operational changes, including individual teams taking responsibility for ticket sales, and the absence of major Test series that boosted numbers in previous years. Despite the varied attendance figures, the average broadcast audience on Sky Sports and the BBC has risen by 7.5%.
Trent Rockets have emerged as a standout side, topping both the men's and women's tables to reach Sunday's finals at Lord's. Their success has been linked to a conscious effort to involve people familiar with the local area and club, according to Mick Newell, the Rockets' director of cricket.