Archive January 27, 2026

The Hundred’s inaugural player auction will be held in London on 11 and 12 March.

For the first five editions of the competition, players were allocated to teams via a draft system with a set of salary tiers.

But following substantial private investment in The Hundred, players not already signed or retained will now have their team and pay set by an auction.

The shift to a system similar to the one used in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been driven by new investors in the eight city-based franchises.

Auctions are a feature of a number of T20 franchise leagues, with the IPL holding one since its inception in 2008, but this will be the first major instance in UK sporting history.

Four of The Hundred’s sides are now part-owned by groups that also control franchises in the IPL, which is reflected in the new team names of MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and Manchester Super Giants. The fourth, Southern Brave – backed by Delhi Capitals – have retained their original name.

Squads will be made up of between 16 to 18 players, while there is a salary cap limit along with a salary collar, a minimum amount teams must spend.

The salary pot in the men’s competition for 2026 has risen by 45% to £2.05m per side, and the fund for women’s teams has increased by 100% to £880,000.

The minimum salary for a female player has also risen by 50% to £15,000, while the number of overseas players permitted in both competitions increases from three to four.

Fixtures for the 2026 edition of The Hundred have also been announced.

The opening men’s and women’s double-header will take place on 21 July at The Oval between MI London v Sunrisers Leeds, two franchises with IPL ownership links.

A total of 64 matches take place in the group stage, split equally between the men’s and women’s competitions.

The final round of group fixtures will be played on 12 August, with the Eliminator two days later and the final on Sunday, 16 August.

Both the Eliminator and final will have reserve days in place in the event of bad weather.

The Hundred’s inaugural player auction will be held in London on 11 and 12 March.

For the first five editions of the competition, players were allocated to teams via a draft system with a set of salary tiers.

But following substantial private investment in The Hundred, players not already signed or retained will now have their team and pay set by an auction.

The shift to a system similar to the one used in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been driven by new investors in the eight city-based franchises.

Auctions are a feature of a number of T20 franchise leagues, with the IPL holding one since its inception in 2008, but this will be the first major instance in UK sporting history.

Four of The Hundred’s sides are now part-owned by groups that also control franchises in the IPL, which is reflected in the new team names of MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and Manchester Super Giants. The fourth, Southern Brave – backed by Delhi Capitals – have retained their original name.

Squads will be made up of between 16 to 18 players, while there is a salary cap limit along with a salary collar, a minimum amount teams must spend.

The salary pot in the men’s competition for 2026 has risen by 45% to £2.05m per side, and the fund for women’s teams has increased by 100% to £880,000.

The minimum salary for a female player has also risen by 50% to £15,000, while the number of overseas players permitted in both competitions increases from three to four.

Fixtures for the 2026 edition of The Hundred have also been announced.

The opening men’s and women’s double-header will take place on 21 July at The Oval between MI London v Sunrisers Leeds, two franchises with IPL ownership links.

A total of 64 matches take place in the group stage, split equally between the men’s and women’s competitions.

The final round of group fixtures will be played on 12 August, with the Eliminator two days later and the final on Sunday, 16 August.

Both the Eliminator and final will have reserve days in place in the event of bad weather.

The Hundred’s inaugural player auction will be held in London on 11 and 12 March.

For the first five editions of the competition, players were allocated to teams via a draft system with a set of salary tiers.

But following substantial private investment in The Hundred, players not already signed or retained will now have their team and pay set by an auction.

The shift to a system similar to the one used in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been driven by new investors in the eight city-based franchises.

Auctions are a feature of a number of T20 franchise leagues, with the IPL holding one since its inception in 2008, but this will be the first major instance in UK sporting history.

Four of The Hundred’s sides are now part-owned by groups that also control franchises in the IPL, which is reflected in the new team names of MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and Manchester Super Giants. The fourth, Southern Brave – backed by Delhi Capitals – have retained their original name.

Squads will be made up of between 16 to 18 players, while there is a salary cap limit along with a salary collar, a minimum amount teams must spend.

The salary pot in the men’s competition for 2026 has risen by 45% to £2.05m per side, and the fund for women’s teams has increased by 100% to £880,000.

The minimum salary for a female player has also risen by 50% to £15,000, while the number of overseas players permitted in both competitions increases from three to four.

Fixtures for the 2026 edition of The Hundred have also been announced.

The opening men’s and women’s double-header will take place on 21 July at The Oval between MI London v Sunrisers Leeds, two franchises with IPL ownership links.

A total of 64 matches take place in the group stage, split equally between the men’s and women’s competitions.

The final round of group fixtures will be played on 12 August, with the Eliminator two days later and the final on Sunday, 16 August.

Both the Eliminator and final will have reserve days in place in the event of bad weather.

Rado Vidosic, Brighton’s women’s and girls’ head of coaching and father of women’s head coach Dario, has died aged 64.

Last week the Women’s Super League club said Dario would be taking a period of leave as he deals with a family matter in Australia.

Rado, who was born in Osijek in the former Yugoslavia, joined Brighton last January and played “an important role in the team’s historic 2024-25 campaign, helping the side achieve a record WSL finish of fifth,” the club said.

Brighton’s women’s and girls’ managing director Zoe Johnson said Rado Vidosic had been “an integral part” of the club and that his impact would “forever be remembered”.

“All our love and thoughts are with Dario and his family at this difficult time,” she added.

Women’s chair Michelle Walder added: “As well as being a hugely respected coach, he was a well-loved member of our club who was a key part of building our strong team culture.”

He had previously spent six years with Melbourne City in Australia, working with both the men’s and women’s sides, and had also held coaching roles with Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.

Rado worked as Melbourne City’s academy technical director before taking on the role of women’s head coach. He then managed the men’s team and won the A-League title with them.

Melbourne City said Rado was “a highly respected figure whose impact and influence on our club, and Australian football at large, will endure for many years to come.”

Rado Vidosic, Brighton’s women’s and girls’ head of coaching and father of women’s head coach Dario, has died aged 64.

Last week the Women’s Super League club said Dario would be taking a period of leave as he deals with a family matter in Australia.

Rado, who was born in Osijek in the former Yugoslavia, joined Brighton last January and played “an important role in the team’s historic 2024-25 campaign, helping the side achieve a record WSL finish of fifth,” the club said.

Brighton’s women’s and girls’ managing director Zoe Johnson said Rado Vidosic had been “an integral part” of the club and that his impact would “forever be remembered”.

“All our love and thoughts are with Dario and his family at this difficult time,” she added.

Women’s chair Michelle Walder added: “As well as being a hugely respected coach, he was a well-loved member of our club who was a key part of building our strong team culture.”

He had previously spent six years with Melbourne City in Australia, working with both the men’s and women’s sides, and had also held coaching roles with Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.

Rado worked as Melbourne City’s academy technical director before taking on the role of women’s head coach. He then managed the men’s team and won the A-League title with them.

Melbourne City said Rado was “a highly respected figure whose impact and influence on our club, and Australian football at large, will endure for many years to come.”

Wales prop Keiron Assiratti is set to miss the Six Nations after suffering a calf injury, with fellow Cardiff prop Sam Wainwright called into the squad.

Assiratti, 28, suffered the problem in his region’s 17-8 United Rugby Championship (URC) victory against Benetton on Saturday.

All four of 27-year-old Wainwright’s caps came as a replacement in 2022, his last appearance being the 13-12 defeat by Georgia in Cardiff.

Provence prop Tomas Francis, who has returned to international rugby for the first time since 2023, and Bath’s Archie Griffin are the other tight-head options in the squad.

“It’s disappointing for Keiron, but that gives an opportunity for Sam and we’re delighted for him to join the group,” said Wales head coach Steve Tandy.

Captain Jac Morgan, Cardiff number eight Taulupe Faletau, Exeter lock Christ Tshiunza and Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn are also injured.

Forwards (20): Adam Beard (Montpellier), Liam Belcher (Cardiff), James Botham (Cardiff), Rhys Carre (Saracens), Ben Carter (Dragons), Olly Cracknell (Leicester), Harri Deaves (Ospreys), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Provence), Archie Griffin (Bath), Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter), Dewi Lake (Ospreys, capt), Alex Mann (Cardiff), Josh Macleod (Scarlets), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets), Nicky Smith (Leicester), Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), Freddie Thomas (Gloucester), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Sam Wainwright (Cardiff).