Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Among the new additions for the 2026 season is a combined men's and women's trophy
- Published20 minutes ago
The sixth edition of The Hundred starts on Tuesday, 21 July as the tournament returns with some different team names and new kits, players and coaches.
Since last year's competition, stakes in the eight sides have been sold to investors, raising more than £500m to be shared between cricket's 18 counties and at least £50m of investment in grassroots participation.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 edition, including the schedule and how to watch and follow on the BBC.
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What is The Hundred and what are the rules?
The Hundred is a white-ball cricket tournament designed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to attract more investment and diverse audiences to the game.
It was due to launch in 2020 but delayed by a year following the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are eight teams in the competition, with each representing cities of the UK, rather than the traditional county structure.
Prior to the investment the eight teams were called: Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
Three have changed name with Manchester Originals becoming Manchester Super Giants, Northern Superchargers changing to Sunrisers Leeds and Oval Invincibles now MI London. All three of those sides have investment from groups linked to India's IPL and their names have changed in line with those teams.
For the first time in UK sporting history, a draft was used to build the 16 squads after an initial direct-signing window.
The men's and women's tournaments run simultaneously and each match sees both team bat for 100 balls, with the highest score winning.
Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 balls each, and in five or 10-ball sets.
A powerplay - a section of the innings where the fielding side are only allowed two fielders on the boundary - lasts 25 balls per innings.
Matches are designed to last for two-and-a-half hours in total, making it the fastest format of the game played in the UK and more attractive to TV broadcasters.
As well as a men's and women's table, there will be a new combined table and trophy from the 2026 season.
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Figure caption,The Hundred players react to combined trophy
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What is the schedule and format?
The 2026 tournament starts on Tuesday, 21 July with MI London - who are the most successful side in both competitions with three men's titles and two women's trophies - against Sunrisers Leeds.
In the group stages, which run until 12 August, every side plays eight matches. They play six teams once but their local rival twice.
The local pairings are Phoenix and Rockets, Spirit and MI London, Super Giants and Sunrisers, as well as Brave and Fire.
The top side after the group stages qualifies automatically for the final at Lord's.
The second and third-placed teams meet at The Kia Oval in the Eliminator on 14 August, with the winner going through to the final.
When is The Hundred final this year?
The final takes place at Lord's on Sunday, 16 August.
The women's final will start at 14:15 BST, with the men's from 18:00.
Who are the past winners?
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Charlie Dean has been named as the permanent London Spirit captain, with Heather Knight taking on an off-field role from 2026
2021: Southern Brave (men's), Oval Invincibles (women's)
2022: Trent Rockets (men's), Oval Invincibles (women's)
2023: Oval Invincibles (men's), Southern Brave (women's)
2024: Oval Invincibles (men's), London Spirit (women's)
2025: Oval Invincibles (men's), Northern Superchargers (women's)
How can I watch The Hundred on TV and follow it on the BBC?
You will be able to follow the tournament across the BBC.
There will also be 16 matches live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Isa Guha, Alex Hartley and Amber Sandhu will present the coverage with Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook and Phil Tufnell returning as pundits.
New faces include England Test opener Emilio Gay and seamer Mark Wood, while former India batter Ajinkya Rahane and New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin will also be involved.
World Cup winners Tymal Mills, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Dawid Malan, Amanda Jade-Wellington and Carlos Brathwaite will also be part of the coverage.
There will be ball-by-ball audio commentary on all 68 matches on BBC Sounds, with extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra.
The BBC Sport website and app will have reports on every game and daily video highlights of the best moments, while there will be live text commentary and in-play video clips on the Eliminator and finals.
The BBC Cricket Instagram, external account will also have all the best moments, plus you can keep up to date with the competition via the BBC Cricket WhatsApp channel, external.
The BBC Sport YouTube, external will have highlights throughout the tournament and keep an eye out for 'Ravi meets' - a new feature with a partially sighted cricket fan who took BBC Sport's social channels, external by storm in the summer of 2025.
Every game is live on Sky Sports.
The Hundred 2026 on BBC TV
Times are BST and subject to change (women's game first, then men's)
Tuesday, 21 July: MI London v Sunrisers Leeds (14:45 & 18:30)
Wednesday, 22 July: Southern Brave v Welsh Fire (15:00 & 18:30)
Sunday, 26 July: Trent Rockets v London Spirit (14:30 & 18:00)
Sunday, 2 August: MI London v Manchester Super Giants (14:30 & 18:00)
Tuesday, 4 August: Sunrisers Leeds v London Spirit (15:00 & 18:30)
Wednesday, 5 August: Trent Rockets v Birmingham Phoenix (15:00 & 18:30)
Sunday, 9 August: London Spirit v Birmingham Phoenix (14:30 & 18:00)
Sunday, 16 August: Finals (14:15 & 18:00)
