Archive October 31, 2025

Following private funding into the competition, The Hundred will hold a player auction and significantly raise salaries for the 2026 season.

Players were previously given teams via a draft and a set of salary tiers, but an auction will now determine the roster and pay for them.

The fund for women’s teams will increase by 100% to £880, 000, while the men’s pay will increase by 45% to £2.05 million per side.

The minimum wage for female players doubles to £15,000, and the maximum number of foreign players allowed to play both competitions rises from three to four.

The Hundred’s ownership of the property was made public this month after private bidders bid for it in the summer.

Vikram Banerjee, managing director, said, “This is a very exciting time for The Hundred.”

“These changes will improve the quality of cricket and the level of entertainment,” according to the statement. “They will help us make the competition even better.

The Indian Premier League has held one of the franchise T20 leagues since its founding in 2008, making it a part of many of them.

Four of The Hundred’s sides are currently owned by individuals who also own franchises in the IPL, with some reportedly changing names in 2026 in response to their overseas counterparts.

Working with our new partners, we’ve been considering how to advance The Hundred, and we’ve come to the decision to hold an auction, which will enhance the competition, said Banerjee.

We’re delighted to hold the first auction in a major UK sport for a competition that has always been dedicated to innovation.

Teams will be able to sign four players in a window from mid-November to the end of January, with one being allowed to remain in any team’s 2025 squad.

Franchises will be able to offer multi-year contracts, and the three remaining direct signings must be from players working for England or from abroad.

However, the option to match, which allowed sides to retain squad members by charging the same wages if a player was chosen by another team, will no longer be a part of the competition.

The settled Oval Invincibles squad, who has won the division for the past three years, will likely be disbanded as a result of the move.

Southern Brave, who won the 2025 group stage without losing, will likely undergo significant changes, and captain Georgia Adams, who stated in August that “players want to have some say in where they go, too” cast doubt on the auction format.

Despite recent claims that he was concerned about the depth at his disposal, Liverpool manager Arne Slot claims to be “completely happy” with his team.

After Slot chose to field a largely unexperienced and relatively young team, the Reds opted to bow out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, falling 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.

The team lost to Brentford on Saturday, their fourth league defeat in a row, to start with a start that included three teenagers and five more as substitutes.

After the Palace game, Slot claimed that his choice “gives a little insight” into the depth of the squad he is working with.

The Dutchman, who helped Liverpool win the Premier League title last season in his first campaign, also made it clear that Manchester City and Chelsea could rotate without significantly altering their starting lineups as they advanced to the quarter-finals.

However, Slot has backtracked and asserts he is “happy” with his options ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home game against Aston Villa (20:00 GMT).

Slot remarked, “We miss nothing.”

Liverpool have lost six of their first seven games in all competitions, winning seven of them overall.

Some fans are debating whether Slot is the right man to take Liverpool forward as they drop to seventh place in the Premier League table and are seven points clear of Arsenal.

All of this comes after Anfield’s record-breaking summer of investment, when the club went on the biggest summer spending spree in history, donating $ 415 million to help the club develop a formidable talent pool.

Chelsea spent $ 400 million in the summer of 2023, and Liverpool was prepared to pay another $ 35 million to sign Marc Guehi, but the deal fell apart as the transfer window came to an end.

The last player to pass the £125m mark came from Slovakia on September 1st, with Alexander Isak as the final player.

Isak, 26, sat down tools at Newcastle and practiced alone as he attempted to force his way to Merseyside, which resulted in missed practice for the entire pre-season.

Due to injury in the first few months of the campaign, Liverpool have also been without a number of important players, including Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, and Ryan Gravenberch.

“I am completely persuaded by the strategy and policy we have,” Slot continued, “but the fact that not all of them have had a good pre-season or have been hurt makes the issue.”

“You return to 16 players when three or four of you are injured.” I firmly believe that 20 or 21 players should suffice, but it must be done to maintain their fitness, as we did last year.

The movie “Alex Isak” demonstrates this beautifully. Others have missed the pre-season or suffered injuries while playing.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he is “completely happy” with his Liverpool squad despite recent suggestions that he was concerned about the depth available to him.

The Reds bowed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, beaten 3-0 at home by Crystal Palace after Slot elected to field a largely youthful and inexperienced team.

Slot gave starts to three teenagers and had a further five among his substitutes as he made 10 changes to the team that lost 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday – their fourth league defeat in a row.

After the Palace game, Slot said maybe his selection “gives a little bit of insight” into the squad depth he is working with.

The Dutchman, who led Liverpool to last season’s Premier League title in his first campaign, also highlighted that Manchester City and Chelsea were able to rotate without hugely weakening their starting line-ups as both clubs advanced to the quarter-finals.

But, in the build-up to Saturday’s Premier League home game against Aston Villa (20:00 GMT), Slot has backtracked and insists he is “happy” with his options.

“We miss nothing,” Slot said.

After winning their opening seven games of the season across all competitions, Liverpool have lost six of the past seven.

They have slipped to seventh in the Premier League table and trail leaders Arsenal by seven points, leading to some fans questioning whether Slot is the right man to take Liverpool forward.

All of this comes after a record-breaking summer of investment at Anfield when the club embarked on the biggest summer spending spree in European football history – parting with £415m to recruit a stellar collection of talent.

The previous record was held by Chelsea who spent £400m in the summer of 2023 and Liverpool were prepared to hand over a further £35m to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi until the deal collapsed as the transfer window closed.

Striker Alexander Isak was the last player through the door on 1 September for a British-record £125m.

Isak, 26, downed tools at Newcastle and trained alone as he looked to force through to move to Merseyside, meaning he missed an entire pre-season.

Liverpool have also been without several key players – including Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong and Ryan Gravenberch – because of injury during the opening months of the campaign.

“I am completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have but that makes the issue – if you call it an issue – is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured,” Slot added.

“When three or four are injured you go back to 16 players. I am a firm believer that 20 or 21 players is enough but you have to keep them fit as we did last season.

“Alex [Isak] is a great example of this. A few others have missed out on pre-season or had injuries during pre-season.