The competition’s slogan is ‘every ball counts’, and it’s an appropriate one. With 20 balls per innings fewer than in T20 cricket, this often results in extremely close games where teams are separated by just one run, or one wicket. So that’s why every ball really does count!
Here’s the format, the latest betting and our usual betting tip.
- Start: Tuesday, 21 July
- Venue: Cricket grounds all around England and Wales
- Live Coverage: BBC, Sky Sports
Best Bet: Back the Welsh Fire to Finish Rock Bottom
As you’ll see below, despite one side having won the last three editions, picking the winner before it gets underway is no easy task.
So instead, it may be easier to try to pick the side that will finish rock bottom of the Group Stages, and that could be the Welsh Fire. Historically, they’ve been the big strugglers, finishing 7th, 8th, 4th, 6th, and 8th, so clearly the management and recruitment team haven’t got their heads around how to achieve success in this competition.
And there are few reasons to think things will dramatically improve this season. Whereas the likes of Joe Root and Rachin Ravindra are excellent players in longer formats, the ‘thrash and bash nature’ of The Hundred isn’t suited to them, while their spin bowling options look on the thin side, so this could be another testing season for them.
Betting Summary
It’s typical of a cricket franchise tournament like this that there’s not a huge difference in the odds about the eight teams in it to go on and win it.
The favourites are MI London at 4.0, and the outsiders are the Welsh Fire at 8.5, with all the other six teams at roughly around the 6.0 or 7.0 mark.
There are several reasons for the fact that the prices are quite close.
Unlike, say, the (football) Premier League where teams have completely different budgets, here all the teams have exactly the same budgets to go out and recruit a mix of domestic and overseas players.
And beyond that, every year some of the best players move from one franchise to another, so very few sides have the luxury of being able to field the same players in a settled side year after year, meaning there’s little in the way of continuity. So that’s why it’s so hard to predict the winners and why the bookies are struggling to separate most of the field when it comes to the odds.
That said, it’s a bit of a surprise that MI London are quite strong favourites. It’s true that as the Oval Invincibles (they changed their name when they were bought by the Mumbai Indians franchise in December 2025), they won the last three editions and that obviously deserves respect.
But as we know, the team has changed a lot over the last few years and this year it doesn’t look to be the strongest squad, with question marks also around their choice of coach in Kieran Pollard; great player but very inexperienced in coaching at this level.
Team to Watch and Top Runscorer Market
In contrast, coaches – who make a huge difference in franchise cricket- don’t come much more experienced than Andy Flower of the London Spirit.
He’ll oversee a well-balanced team that includes excellent overseas stars like Adam Zampa and Dewald Brevis as well as smart, value-for-money local signings like all-rounders David Willey and Jamie Overton.
As we said already, it’s not easy picking a winner, but the presence of Flower and a group of players where everyone knows precisely what their role is within the team, they look a decent price to go all the way at 7.0.
When it comes to the top runscorer market, the golden rule is to always look for opening batsmen, who preferably bat on a good wicket when at home and who score quickly. With that in mind, veteran English batsman Jos Buttler at 18.0 and big-hitting Australian Mitch Marsh at 17.0 look lively contenders.
What Is the Hundred?
The Hundred is a UK-based cricket franchise tournament about to enter its sixth edition. The reason it’s called The Hundred is that in every game, each team faces 100 (legal) deliveries/balls, which is 20 fewer than what you get in the more common T20 format.
For the most part, each of the eight teams is made up of two English counties, with the two counties taking turns to host the team’s home matches. Out of interest, there’s also a women’s version of the Hundred and the women’s team always play their match at the same ground as the men’s, with the women’s game taking place first.
Each side plays four matches at home and four away. The Top 3 after the Group Stages qualify for the Playoffs. But it makes a big difference as to whether you finish first or whether you finish second or third.
That’s because the team that tops the table goes straight to the final, while the ones finishing second and third contest an Eliminator; the winner of that then joins the Group Stage winner in the final.
The Hundred has enjoyed excellent crowds over the years, with matches taking place just after work hours and affordable ticket prices, especially for children. Its popularity has also benefited from the matches being shown on free-to-air TV on the BBC, as well as on Sky Sports.
