When the ECB launched The Hundred in 2021, it was sold as the future. A fresh format. A clean break. A way to draw in fans who didn’t follow traditional cricket and weren’t sure what to make of Test matches or domestic T20 leagues.
The Hundred League as T20 Cricket League in Future
Four years in, that energy is gone. Attendance isn’t what it was. Star player availability has dropped. The international calendar is tighter than ever. Now, reports suggest the ECB might phase out the 100-ball format in favor of T20 as early as 2026.
The question is no longer “Is the Hundred working?” It’s whether it still makes sense to keep it around at all.
Where It Stands Now
The 2025 edition of The Hundred wrapped with decent highlights but very little noise. There were strong performances. Oval Invincibles looked sharp. Rashid Khan made history as the first bowler to cross 650 T20 wickets while playing in the tournament. But outside of match recaps, the format itself got less attention than usual.
A report from The Guardian last week revealed the ECB is now in internal talks with broadcasters and investors about transitioning The Hundred into a T20-based competition. This would align it with other domestic leagues worldwide and make it easier for players, sponsors, and international partners to engage with it.
There’s also mounting pressure from IPL investors who’ve already poured money into the English market. If they want to send their players to England, they’d rather not have to adapt to a different format for four weeks.
What The Hundred Got Right
The Hundred had a strong launch. The condensed format made sense for fans with limited time. The women’s game got a major boost with doubleheaders and live prime-time slots. Younger viewers tuned in. Matches ran on schedule. Even the in-game graphics and sound production felt more accessible to casual fans.
It also gave domestic players a higher-profile stage. The tournament created room for new breakout names who weren’t yet on the England national radar. From that angle, it served a purpose.
Apps and platforms like 10CRIC cricket betting began listing full match schedules alongside other global leagues, which quietly helped normalize the format within international cricket calendars (even if fans still preferred T20). However, those gains didn’t last because the biggest issue remained unsolved.
What’s Not Working
Most fans never fully brought into the 100-ball structure. They liked the teams, the players, and the presentation, but the rules felt like an unnecessary tweak to something that already worked. At the pro level, The Hundred created scheduling clashes with CPL, MLC, and ILT20, which all run during the same window. That meant fewer top-tier international players were available every season.
The format also made stat tracking harder. When a player’s strike rate or economy rate is listed under a system that doesn’t match any other league or ICC event, the numbers become harder to compare. That affects fantasy platforms, scouting, commentary, and overall engagement. T20 already has global support systems, and The Hundred never got the same infrastructure behind it.
What Players and Experts Are Saying
Mark Taylor recently said The Hundred felt like a fix for something that wasn’t broken.” Michael Atherton echoed this in a Sky interview, saying the format was “a distraction” from England’s wider domestic overhaul.
Several domestic players have publicly said switching between formats mid-season is more disruptive than helpful. One player told BBC Sport off-record that it’s “harder to explain the format to family than to play in it.”
Behind the scenes, broadcasters are also requesting standardization. If a network is covering T20 leagues globally, it’s a tough sell to explain a different system to advertisers every August.
What a T20 Switch Could Fix
Dropping the 100-ball format would simplify everything. T20 games would align with global expectations. Player contracts could be synced across leagues. Fans would follow stats and team form more easily.
It also opens the door to ICC cooperation. If cricket wants to pitch for more Olympic attention, a standard format helps the cause. And for English cricket specifically, it makes room to re-integrate county fans who feel left out of The Hundred’s city-only structure.
There’s also a better long-term appeal to young players. Right now, every future pro in England grows up playing T20 in domestic tournaments, then shifts to The Hundred format for four weeks, and then back again. That friction goes away with one decision.
Final Word
There’s no denying that The Hundred was a good experiment. It brought in new fans and gave women’s cricket the spotlight it deserved. But the format itself never felt necessary. The ECB has a chance now to stop doubling down on a structure that no longer serves its original purpose. Global cricket already has a short-format standard, and maybe it’s time to just use it.
