2026 Hundred: new ownership, new names and a more than £500m injection
The Hundred relaunches this week with a markedly different look and financial structure as the tournament starts on Tuesday. Stakes in all eight teams were sold to private investors, meaning an influx of more than £500m into the domestic game.
The competition is the ECB’s short-format showpiece featuring cricket’s power hitters and returns with a series of structural changes that have been implemented since the last ball of the Hundred last season. Since that final delivery, change has been afoot across the competition: ownership has been reshaped, branding updated and operating budgets enlarged. Organisers say the shifts cover many areas of the event, including pay, coaching appointments, playing rosters and even team logos.
A complete sale of stakes in every franchise has altered the governance model for the tournament. All eight teams moved into private ownership, transferring significant control from previous custodians to new investors. That transition has been accompanied by the capital boost of more than £500m, money directed at strengthening the domestic structure and the commercial prospects of the event.
The new commercial backing has led to visible changes in team presentation and identity. Several franchises have adopted different names and refreshed visual identities ahead of the restart, with new logos and branding rolled out in recent weeks. Those updates are intended to align the clubs with their new owners’ plans and to present a revamped product to supporters and broadcast partners.
Financial changes extend into remuneration and staffing, with the tournament’s pay structures adjusted under the new arrangements. Coaching staffs and player line-ups have also been affected as franchises reconfigure squads and backroom teams to match revised budgets and strategic priorities. Organisers have described the combined changes as a substantial restructuring of the competition’s professional framework.
The Hundred’s calendar resumes on Tuesday, offering a first opportunity to see how the refreshed franchises perform under the new ownership and financial model. Supporters, players and administrators will witness whether the alterations to pay, personnel and branding translate into on-field differences and commercial momentum.
As the tournament gets under way, the 2026 edition will be watched closely to assess the immediate impact of the ownership sales and the large capital injection on the future shape of domestic short-format cricket.