The Hundred set to introduce player auction for 2026
In the previous seasons, teams in The Hundred have assembled their squads through a draft system.
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The Hundred 2026 will be the fourth season of the marquee competition. The first installment of The Hundred was played in 2021. In the previous seasons, teams in The Hundred have assembled their squads through a draft system, in which the order for selection was determined beforehand and the players were placed into specific price brackets.
However, the tournament is set to move to an auction methodology, a decision made in consultation with the England and Wales Cricket Board, all eight franchises, the Professional Cricketers' Association and The Hundred's Playing Working Group.
There will also be a change in squad composition as the teams will be made up ranging from 16 and 18 players, with only four overseas players permitted. Till now, the standard number of players in each squad in The Hundred was limited to only 16.
Like the Indian Premier League, there will be a base price associated with each player. Their final salary will be decided on the final price at the time of the bidding. This will be a shift from the current system. which comprised players earning only fixed salaries. There will also be an addition in terms of multiple-year contracts.
Speaking about the men's and women's competition, the overall salary pot has been increased by 45% (to £2.05 million) and 100% (to £880,000), respectively. In another significant development, the base salary for the lowest-paid players has increased by 50% to £15,000 in the women's tournament,
A maximum of four players can be signed in the pre-auction window, which will be between mid-November and the end of January. Of these four, a maximum of three can be signings made directly and one must be a retained player from their previous team. The price of these players will be subtracted from the team's total salary pot.
The pre-auction deduction per team is as follows:
Men’s Hundred - £350k (1 signing), £650k (2 players), £850k (3 players), £950k (4 players)
Women’s Hundred - £130k (1 signing), £240k (2 players), £310k (3 players), £360k (4 players)
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