The Hundred To Follow IPL's Footsteps, Draft System To Be Replaced By Player Auction In 2026

The Hundred will introduce a first player auction in 2026, which will replace the existing draft system. The 6th season will also witness a number of changes, including hikes in the salaries for both men and women cricketers.

Salary Caps To Be Introduced In The Hundred

The first auction will be held in March 2026 and a salary cap will be in place for all the teams. As per ESPN Cricinfo, the English Cricket Board will also introduce a salary collar under which teams will have to ensure a minimum spend in the auction. The amount to be spent in the auction will increase to £2.05 million from £1.2 million, while for the women's, the new figure will be £880,000. The minimum salaries for women players will also see an increase of 15%.

IPL Like Retentions Will Be In Place

Teams will also be permitted to sign four players before the auction from a window of mid-November to mid-January. Two overseas players and two centrally contracted English players can be brought in. Among these four players, at least one will have to be retained. The Wildcard system will also be in motion, which will allow teams to sign players from the T20 Blast via a draft system.

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, Vikram Banerjee, the Managing Director of the Hundred, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for the Hundred. These changes will help us make the competition even better, ensuring we get the best players in the world and improving the standard of cricket and level of entertainment further again.”

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Multi-year contracts will be implemented while the total number of overseas players will rise from three to four. All the changes have been cleared by the Hundred board and the participating teams.

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