The Hundred 2026: What's Changed, Who to Watch, and How the New Combined Trophy Works

The Hundred is back for its 2026 edition, running 34 matchdays from the Kia Oval on July 21 through to Finals Day on August 16 — and this year’s competition comes with its biggest structural change since the format launched.

The big change: one combined trophy

For 2026, a new combined trophy is awarded to whichever franchise performs best across both the men’s and women’s competitions together. Every match win — men’s or women’s — now contributes points toward one overall club score, on top of the individual men’s and women’s titles. It’s a meaningful shift: it makes a club’s women’s team results directly relevant to the men’s team’s season narrative (and vice versa), and gives every one of the eight host franchises an extra trophy to actually chase.

Betting sponsors banned

The Hundred’s board has banned betting sponsors for 2026, a decision explicitly framed around protecting the competition’s family-friendly identity. It’s a notable stance given how common betting sponsorship is elsewhere in English cricket and T20 leagues globally — only three franchises had front-of-shirt partnerships in place by the kit launch, partly a knock-on effect of that restriction narrowing the sponsor pool.

Squad news worth tracking

• Joe Weatherley earned a late call-up to Birmingham Phoenix on the back of strong Twenty20 Blast form for Hampshire, stepping in as a replacement for injured captain Jacob Bethell.
• MI London received clearance to sign Australian keeper-batter Josh Philippe on a one-match deal as overseas cover for Sherfane Rutherford, who is missing the start of the tournament on West Indies duty.

Both moves are classic Hundred subplots — the format’s short, hectic window means a single injury or international call-up can meaningfully change a franchise’s top order overnight.

Why it matters for the wider cricket calendar

The Hundred sits at a slightly awkward point on the global calendar — competing for players and attention with domestic T20 leagues worldwide — but the combined-trophy change is a genuine attempt to make the women’s competition matter more to a franchise’s season, not just run alongside it. Worth watching whether other franchise leagues copy the model if it lands well with broadcasters and crowds.

CricLiveOnline will track results and standout performances as The Hundred heads toward Finals Day on August 16.