Cricket is a sport that is loved worldwide and is played in various formats, including ODI (50 overs), T20 (20 overs), and Test matches (5 days). Among these traditionally celebrated tournaments, the Hundred Cricket competition has created a sensation with its unique concept. In this article, you will find complete details about what the Hundred Cricket is, along with its rules and format.
What is the Hundred (100) Cricket Tournament
The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket competition introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2021. This format features 100 balls per inning and does not follow the traditional 6-ball over structure. In The Hundred, each franchise has both a men’s and a women’s team, with the two competitions running concurrently.
The tournament takes place every year in July and August, featuring eight teams for both men and women competing on the same day. In addition to an exciting cricket format, The Hundred Cricket has a distinct set of rules concerning bowling, batting, the number of deliveries allowed for each bowler, powerplay, and more.
The Hundred Cricket Rules
The Hundred has its own unique rules that make it different from traditional cricket. The format is designed to be fast, exciting, and easy to follow for fans of all ages.
- 100 Balls Per Innings: Each team bats for a maximum of 100 legal deliveries which could be 10 overs of each 10 balls or 20 overs of each 5 balls. This is different from formats like T20 or ODI.
- 5 or 10 Ball Overs: Instead of the typical 6-ball overs, bowlers can bowl either 5 or 10 consecutive deliveries. Based on the bowler’s skills and the captain’s discretion, a bowler continues after 5 balls or hands over to another bowler.
- Maximum Bowl Limit: Each bowler can bowl max up to 20 balls in a match. These can be split into 5 balls or 10 balls each spell.
- Change of Strike: In The Hundred cricket, the batting ends change after every 10 balls unlike traditional cricket, where ends change after every over.
- 25 Balls Powerplay: The first 25 deliveries of each innings are a powerplay. During this time, only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- Strategic Timeout: Similar to traditional cricket, the fielding side is allowed a 2.5-minute timeout per innings to discuss tactics with the coach and players.
- Decision Review System (DRS): Each team gets one review per innings using different technologies like Hawk-Eye, UltraEdge, etc. to challenge an umpire’s call.
- Result: The team with the highest number of runs at the end of 100 balls wins.
The Tie Rule (Super 5) in The Hundred Cricket: If scores are tied between teams, each team faces 5 additional balls (called a “Super 5”). If still tied, another Super 5 is played until a winner is decided.
Number of Teams in The Hundred Cricket
The Hundred features the following eight city-based teams –
- Birmingham Phoenix (Edgbaston)
- London Spirit (Lord’s)
- Manchester Originals (Emirates Old Trafford)
- Northern Superchargers (Headingley)
- Oval Invincibles (The Kia Oval)
- Southern Brave (Utilita Bowl)
- Trent Rockets (Trent Bridge)
- Welsh Fire (Sophia Gardens)
How Many Players in the 100 Cricket Team
Each team in The Hundred has a squad of 15 players, with a maximum of 3 overseas players allowed. Players are chosen through a draft system based on salary bands. Just like traditional cricket, only 11 players take the field in a match, while the rest remain as part of the squad for rotation and backup.
How is The Hundred Different from T20?
The Hundred is played with 100 balls per innings, while T20 has 120 balls (20 overs). Instead of 6-ball overs, bowlers in The Hundred deliver sets of 5 or 10 balls. The powerplay is 25 balls (not 6 overs), and the game is designed to be faster with stricter time rules, making it shorter and more streamlined than T20.
Read More: How Many Overs in Asia Cup 2025: 20 or 50? Explained
Who is the Owner of the Hundred Teams?
The Hundred teams are jointly owned by private investors and county clubs, with the ECB regulating the tournament. Each squad has external investment, such as Reliance Industries with Oval Invincibles, tech leaders with London Spirit, Knighthead Capital with Birmingham Phoenix, Washington Freedom with Welsh Fire, RPSG Group with Manchester Originals, and GMR Group with Southern Brave.
Is The Hundred Series Happening in 2025?
The Hundred Championship 2025 is scheduled for August 5, and the final is to be played on August 31, 2025, at Lord’s. The first is played between the London Spirit vs Oval Invincibles. A total of eight teams will play round-robin format with an elimination round on August 30 and a final on August 31.
