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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.

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.

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.

On Saturday, teams will begin their preparation for the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw, which will take place in the same location. They are hoping to score important ranking points.

For the tournament’s group stage in Australia, teams will be divided into six of four pools.

The top six players in the world rankings, which are currently in place in band one for the draw, would avoid playing against one another on the pool stage.

Wales (12th) will want to avoid being eliminated from the second band of teams and facing an even trickier World Cup draw, while Australia (seventh) and Scotland (eighth) will be aiming for strong autumns to break into the top six.

The autumn matches also give head coaches the chance to train and improve their tactics as the World Cup is in two years.

The rankings for World Rugby are based on a “points exchange” system, which allows teams to gain or lose points based on the outcome of the match.

Other factors include the margin of victory, the relative strength of each team, and the allowance for home advantage.

The top 18 teams right now are:

1. South Africa92.20

2. New Zealand90.02

3. Ireland 89.83

4. France 87.82

5. England 87.64

6. Argentina 83.82

7. Australia 83.30

8. Scotland 81.57

9. Fiji 81.16

10. Italy 77.77

11. Georgia 74.69

12. Wales 74.05

13. Japan 73.25

14. Spain 69.12

15. USA 67.40

16. Samoa 66.94

17. Chile 66.72

18. Tonga 66.66

Games against Japan, Australia, and world champion South Africawill follow in Dublin.

It’s a challenging autumn task for Ireland to face the three major southern hemisphere teams, but they are still up there in the rankings with enough points to maintain their position.

Steve Borthwick’s side won seven games in a row after losing three of their four autumn internationals last year.

England is fifth in the world thanks to an impressive series win over Argentina without their Lions stars.

Borthwick’s side will want to make a statement this autumn and surpass France, the previous year’s Six Nations champion, in the rankings.

With their matches against the United States, New Zealand, Argentina, and Tonga, Scotland have a good chance of advancing up the rankings.

The fixture list is favorable, and Gregor Townsend’s side, who won three of their four games last autumn, will relish their chances there.

Scotland will be hoping to get their hands on a potential first win over the All Blacks in history because New Zealandwill depart from Chicago for Edinburgh after a demanding game against Ireland.

On Sunday, November 9, Steve Tandy will take charge of Wales when they play Argentina for the first time.

The first two matches give Tandy the best chance of claiming his first victory, having ended their 18-game losing streak in July against Japan, who they face in their second autumn international.

In their first summer international match, the Brave Blossoms defeated Wales, which places them just below Tandy’s side in the world rankings.

It is a big autumn for Scott Robertson’s New Zealandafter they came up short again to South Africain the Rugby Championship.

Robertson must now put pressure on himself to get better after his first defeat in Argentina and his shock record-breaking defeat against the Springboks.

His team defeated England and Ireland in three of their four games last autumn, and his team won.

At the start of October, the world champions won back-to-back Rugby Championship titles and were at the top of the world rankings.

France and Ireland will play in Dublin, a place where Rassie Erasmus has never won as head coach.

A clean sweep of victories over Japan (at Wembley Stadium), Italy, and Wales would undoubtedly boost South Africa’s standing as the favorites to win the third World Cup in a row.

However, he extended his agreement in April to 2026, when he will hand over Les Kiss with a better squad.

Wins over South Africaand Argentina in the Rugby Championship will give the Wallabies confidence heading into the autumn.

World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka has called on the United States Anti-Doping Agency to “do more” to help prevent the Enhanced Games from taking place.

Speaking to reporters at an event in London on Thursday, Banka described the Enhanced Games – which permits competitors to use performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision – as “very dangerous” and an “irresponsible event”.

Las Vegas is scheduled to host the inaugural Enhanced Games – consisting of track and field, short-course swimming and weightlifting events – in May 2026.

Banka said: “Sometimes we don’t know what to say about this ridiculous idea, because from the ethical point of view, from the moral point of view, how is it possible that people come to agree to compete, taking all these prohibited substances?

“It’s completely against everything that we are doing. It’s very dangerous.

Banka said he was “very keen” to work alongside the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) but “it has to be based on mutual respect”, with tensions between the two organisations being high in recent times.

Earlier this year, Usada said it “fully supported” the US government’s decision to withhold a payment of $3.6m (£2.8m) to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

That came during a dispute over the handling of a doping scandal involving Chinese swimmers who were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, despite testing positive for a banned substance months earlier.

An independent investigation found Wada did not mishandle the case or show bias towards the 23 swimmers.

On Thursday, Banka added: “We really want our colleagues from the US to do more to make sure that this event will not happen.

“There are some legal possibilities they can lobby for. Usada has made general comments, but maybe it’s time to try to convince the people who have financed this that it’s dangerous.

BBC Sport has approached Usada for a response to Banka’s comments.

The Enhanced Games were launched as a concept in 2023, with some doping measures permitted under medical supervision.

Only substances approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be taken, which is different to the list Wada allows for elite athletes.

Those behind the proposal claim it will be the ‘Olympics of the future’, allowing athletes to take drugs in a bid to break ‘world records’.

Founder Aron D’Souza believes athletes should be entitled to do what they wish with their own bodies.

But the Australian businessman’s concept has been heavily criticised for the potential impact on athletes’ health, and undermining fair play.

In Canada, Mikaela Mayer defeated Mary Spencer to become a three-division world champion and unified light-middleweight champion.

The 35-year-old American outlasted the hometown favorite over 10 rounds at Montreal Casino.

As Mayer claimed the WBC and WBO belts after retiring trailblazer Cecilia Braekhus, judges scored the contest 100-90, 98-92, and 98-92.

This is extra special because I’ve previously won a WBO, but I’ve never had the WBA or WBC put around my waist, Mayer said.

The Californian varied her body and head attacks before finding her rhythm behind a sharp jab.

She maintained control of the range and tempo throughout despite being only two inches taller than the 5’11” Spencer.

Mayer reawakened after a pair of right-handers connected in the fourth round to close the eighth round with four potent hooks, which appeared to be inevitable.

At the conclusion of the 13th bout, Spencer suffered a third defeat and was left with a mark under both eyes.

In a contested fight, she had hoped to face Wales’ WBC welterweight champion Lauren Price.

Promotional and broadcast issues largely caused the fight to fail.

If Mayer’s next fight with Price, who is scheduled to return to the UK in December, does not materialize, she may fight IBF champion Oshae Jones, who is unbeaten.

Mayer said, “The most crucial thing is that I have choices.”

“I’d love to do both: go back to 147 pounds for undisputed and then come back to 154 pounds to defend.”

Claressa Shields, the self-declared “Greatest Woman of All Time” and undisputed three-weight world champion who currently holds titles at heavyweight, could also face off in a potential super-fight.

Several promoters are interested in American Shields, who is currently a free agent, including co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian Most Valuable Promotions.