Brave captain Adams doubts switch to Hundred auction

Georgia Adams, the Southern Brave’s captain, questioned the rumored switch to an auction for the upcoming Hundred, saying “players want to have some say in where they go.”

Vikram Banerjee, the director of Hundred Manager, wants the eight teams to have a “refresh” next year, and one of the new investors wants to replace the existing draft system with an auction like the Indian Premier League.

For the next year’s tournament, which will see the emergence of a new era after the investors take control of the franchises starting on October 1st, teams may be able to retain as few as four players.

Aside from winning the group stage with a 100% record, Adams’ side play in the women’s final on Sunday, “I wouldn’t be a fan of an auction because I just don’t see it fully working or having a great impact in this country,” Adams said.

“It is difficult when you’re at the top and have a core group that you’d probably prefer to keep in mind and that we’ve also worked hard to build and get together.”

Adams, who she has played for since 2022, claimed she has turned down more money in previous seasons to stay with Brave.

Teams could keep up to 10 players this year, with the draft’s remaining slots being filled with players in a certain price range.

I believe that having participated in Australia’s domestic T20 competition, there is such a strong connection to their side and a lot of passion behind the teams they play for, Adams said.

A newly established Hundred board, consisting of representatives from each of the eight franchises and the England and Wales Cricket Board, will make decisions regarding the future of competition.

As investors, who have invested more than £500m in securing their stakes in teams, make changes, new team names and kits are anticipated for 2026.

Although there may be some subtle differences in the structure of an auction for each, the ECB is interested in any modifications that would benefit both the men’s and women’s competitions.

Oval Invincibles will aim for a third straight title in Sunday’s final as a men’s team, having benefitted from bringing together a core group of players over the previous five seasons.

In contrast, Welsh Fire’s women finished last in three of their five seasons, while their men never advanced past that point.

Sam Billings, the Invincibles captain, lamented concerns that such upheaval would lead to identity loss and that an auction would help keep the competition competitive.

There is a claim that change does bring positive change and makes it more competitive, Billings said. “I would happily stay at The Oval and try to win a title every year.

I don’t like the idea of constant turnover, though.

The IPL’s success is that players can change after a number of cycles, but they still retain the icon players. Sam Curran will remain in The Oval, for instance.

He is also known as the “Oval poster boy,” not just because he is one of our best players. It would be a no-brainer from a marketing standpoint.

“You still have that core group of players,” though it’s four players, not ten.

Both Billings and Adams argued that the double-header format should be maintained.

Since The Hundred’s first competition in 2021, the men’s and women’s teams have been a fixture playing the same opponents on the same day.

That will remain in 2026, but earlier this year, ECB CEO Richard Gould claimed organizers were thinking about “de-coupling” some games in an effort to sell out standalone women’s fixtures.

Billings remarked, “We enjoy it. The biggest positive of the tournament is undoubtedly the fact that it is so special to this competition.

If you have young families, you can watch the women’s game and then leave halfway through the men’s before it gets stale.

“You can arrive a little later, watch some of the women’s cricket and stay on if you’re there for a little bit of a party.”