Get ready, because The Hundred is kicking off Tuesday, and trust me, this isn’t the same league we watched last year. This is a whole new ballgame, literally, with some insane changes coming down the pipe after the ECB finalized the sale of stakes in all eight teams back in 2025. We’re talking over £500 million pumped into English and Welsh cricket from these deals, and the ripple effect is already massive.
Mega Millions and Major Ownership Plays
The cash injection is just wild. Over £500 million is a serious pile of money for cricket, and it means the competition just got a whole lot more serious. Every single one of the eight teams has either been partially or fully taken over by new ownership groups since the 2025 campaign wrapped last August. And get this: four of those new ownership groups are already tied into Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. That’s a huge tell about where this league is heading. Even Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is in on the action, snatching up a 49% stake in the Trent Rockets. When you’ve got that kind of money and major sports players buying in, you know the stakes are sky-high.
New Names, New Colors, Same Goal: Win It All
With all that new ownership comes a fresh coat of paint for a lot of these teams. Three squads have completely changed their names to align with their IPL partners. The Northern Superchargers are now the Sunrisers Leeds. The Oval Invincibles? They’re MI London. And the Manchester Originals just became the Manchester Super Giants. These three aren’t just getting new names, either, they’ve gone all out with updated badges and kits. The Southern Brave kept their name, but even they switched their scheme from green and black to blue and red. MI London is also rocking blue and gold, matching their IPL buddies, the Mumbai Indians. London Spirit switched from dark blue jerseys to purple and black with red and yellow trim. Sunrisers Leeds ditched their purple and white for orange and black. The Manchester Super Giants haven’t even dropped their new shirt yet, but their badge is already rocking a red, white, and yellow elephant. Only the Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, and Birmingham Phoenix are sticking with their established looks. Talk about a glow-up!
The 2026 season officially opens with the women’s competition, as MI London takes on Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval at 14:45 BST on Tuesday, 21 July. The men’s teams for MI London and Sunrisers Leeds will face off later that same evening. Daily matches run until Wednesday, 12 August, which is the final day of the group stage. Then it’s crunch time: Friday, 14 August sees the eliminator matches where the second and third place teams battle for a spot in the finals. And then, the big one, the finals for both competitions, a double-header at Lord’s on Sunday, 16 August. The new investment also shook up the player auction back in March, with teams allowed to pre-sign up to four players each, and England white ball captain Harry Brook apparently being the most expensive. You know every team is looking to make a statement with all these changes. It’s going to be a wild ride!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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