The Hundred moves from its traditional draft system to an IPL-style auction for the first time, with the Women’s Hundred auction scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, followed by the Men’s Hundred on Thursday, March 12, both starting at 9:45 AM GMT (3:15 PM IST) at London’s Piccadilly Lights, with over 400 players potentially going under the hammer across both days.
Where to Watch The Hundred 2026 Auction Live
United Kingdom: Live telecast available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket, with a free live stream on The Hundred YouTube channel.
Rest of the World: Free live streaming available globally on The Hundred YouTube channel.
Auction Format: Three-Tier Bidding System
The Hundred introduces a unique three-stage auction process for both men’s and women’s competitions:
1. Hero Players Auction
This opening phase features the competition’s biggest stars divided into three categories, auctioned in this order:
- Marquee Players (Set 1 – Domestic): The auction begins with the biggest domestic names. In the men’s auction, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, James Vince, Jordan Cox, and Joe Root will be called first. The women’s auction starts with Dani Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, and 19-year-old sensation Davina Perrin, who lit up the 2025 edition.
- Marquee Players (Set 2 – International): Next come the overseas stars. Men’s list includes South Africa’s Aiden Markram and David Miller, West Indies’ Sunil Narine, Pakistan’s Haris Rauf, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell. Women’s features South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, Australia’s Beth Mooney, and newly-appointed Australian captain Sophie Molineux, plus India’s Deepti Sharma.
- Tier One and Tier Two Players: Following marquee sets, remaining hero players are auctioned based on franchise nominations and career statistics.
2. Ranked Players Auction
Teams nominate up to 25 players each, including unsold hero players. Those with the most nominations become ranked players and go under the hammer based on nomination count.
3. Nominated Players Auction
The final round begins with a random draw determining the order in which teams will nominate players. If multiple teams want the same player, competitive bidding begins; otherwise, the nominating team signs the player.
Pre-Auction Signings and Salary Caps
Teams could sign a maximum of four players directly before the auction, at least one retention from the previous year, a maximum of two England centrally-contracted players, and a maximum of two overseas players.
Men’s Competition:
- Starting salary pot: £2.05 million per team
- Deduction for four pre-signings: £950,000
- Remaining purse: £1.1 million
- Squad size: 16-18 players
Women’s Competition:
- Starting salary pot: £880,000 per team
- Deduction for four pre-signings: £360,000
- Deduction for three pre-signings: £310,000
- Remaining purse: £520,000 (four signings) or £570,000 (three signings)
- Squad size: 15 players
Key Rule Changes
- No Right To Match option this year
- Players set their own reserve prices within set boundaries
- Not every longlist name is guaranteed to be called, only if squad spots remain
- 243 players on the men’s longlist, 178 on the women’s from approximately 1,000 registrations
Franchise lists were created from 75-100 player nominations submitted by each team, with hero players selected based on nomination numbers and CricViz statistics.
