The Hundred’s future: between evolution and tradition
With a third straight title for Oval Invincibles, a record-breaking season for Jordan Cox, and a £500 million Hundred franchise sale shaking up the competition’s ownership model, The Hundred has reached a critical turning point — and opinions are deeply divided.
Trent Rockets captain David Willey is urging fans and stakeholders across English cricket to embrace the changes expected in the competition’s next chapter. His comments follow a transformative summer that saw all eight Hundred franchises sold to private owners, stripping the ECB of majority control and igniting speculation around a potential shift to T20 and rebranded teams.
According to PA News Agency, Willey believes now is not the time to resist change — but to lean into it.
Willey: “We can get very protective over things”
Willey, a former England international and veteran of the domestic circuit, acknowledges the instinct within English cricket to cling to tradition.
“As English (people) with cricket we can get very protective over things,” he said.
But he also pointed to the evolution of the T20 Blast as proof that innovation can lead to long-term growth.
“You probably only have to look at when the T20 Blast came in and everyone turned their nose up at that, so, I think it’s only going to grow and get better.”
Willey sees fresh potential in private ownership — particularly in commercial areas where he believes the ECB’s centralised approach has held things back.
“Obviously from my understanding up to now it’s all been run by ECB and having different people come in who will probably have more control over sponsors, kits, helping with marketing, I think it is really exciting to branch out from just being cricket, cricket, cricket.”
“There is a lot to be learnt from how other things are done in the world and not just cricket.”
He sees the changes not as a threat, but as a springboard for growth — for the league and for English cricket overall.
“I think it creates a great opportunity to grow the game, grow the tournament and hopefully to grow English cricket, which is a big part of it.”
Jordan Cox: “It can’t get any better than this”
While Willey embraces transformation, Player of the Year Jordan Cox offered a sharply contrasting perspective.
Fresh off a dominant 2025 season in which he scored 367 runs, Cox was clear in his belief that The Hundred’s current form is working — and should remain untouched.
“No, it can’t, it’s as simple as that. It can’t get any better than this but at the end of the day it is whatever The Hundred want, whatever the franchise want, that is what they’ll do,” Cox said during a press conference.
Cox’s Invincibles beat Willey’s Rockets by 26 runs in this year’s final at Lord’s, completing a title three-peat. However, even amid celebration, there are concerns that changes in ownership — including the Ambani family taking over the Oval-based franchise — could lead to the squad being broken up.
A high-stakes evolution for English cricket
As the ECB steps back and new investors step in, The Hundred is poised to undergo one of the most significant transitions in the history of English domestic cricket. Whether the format remains 100 balls or shifts to T20, whether franchises keep their names or rebrand entirely, the competition is no longer just a cricket product — it’s becoming a commercial battleground.
For players like Willey, the shift is a chance to reimagine what English cricket can be. For others like Cox, it’s a warning not to fix what isn’t broken. One thing is certain: the 2026 edition of The Hundred will not look — or feel — the same.
