The Hundred is back, and as one of the more controversial cricket tournaments gets underway, we run through the bets and prices ahead of play getting underway.

What is The Hundred?

For the uninitiated, The Hundred is a limited-overs cricket competition between eight teams or franchises that are spread across the country. There is both a men’s and a women’s competition.

What is the format of The Hundred cricket?

The main difference between The Hundred and other limited-overs competitions like the IPL or The Blast is that there are just 100 deliveries in each innings. A bowler can deliver five or ten balls in a single spell and they are capped at 20 balls per innings. There is a 25-ball powerplay for the batting side where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30 yard circle.

Of the eight sides, the winner of the league phase will automatically advance to the final, with the 2^nd and 3^rd placed sides playing an eliminator match for a spot in the final.

What teams compete in The Hundred?

As we said, there are eight sides who play in The Hundred. Each side has a men’s and women’s team. Both of the sides from the capital were victorious last year, with London Spirit claiming the women’s title and Oval Invincibles victorious for the second time in the men’s section.

Thos two teams will once again be joined by Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire, and Birmingham Pheonix.

What is The Hundred Cricket Draft?

The Hundred draft is the way that the teams get filled. There are set salary bands which have to be filled with a maximum of three overseas players per team.

What Players Are In The Hundred?

Birmingham Phoenix:

The Brummies have three New Zealanders in the shape of Trent Boult, Adam Milne, and Tim Southee lining up for them this year. Domestic dynamite comes in the shape of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Ben Duckett. After scoring 51 off 13 deliveries in a Blast match earlier this year, Aneurin Donald will relish another crack at The Hundred for Birmingham.

London Spirit

Four of England’s Test players will be swapping their whites for the blue and black of London Spirit with Jamie Smith, Ollie Pope, Jamie Overton, and Liam Dawson set to spend the next month in the capital. Kane Williamson and David Warner provide a splash of Antipodean star quality for the Londoners.

Manchester Originals

There will be plenty of familiar names turning out for Manchester Originals this season with white ball supremos Phil Salt and Jos Buttler a destructive duo. They will be supported by England bowlers Tom Hartley and Josh Tongue whilst Heinrich Klaasen has an excellent reputation in short format cricket.

Northern Superchargers

There is always plenty of moaning in the Broad Acres about The Hundred, but those who do go to Headingley will be watching a star-studded side. Batting options include David Miller, Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley, and Harry Brook. Adil Rashid is still one of the best in the world with a white ball in his hand, with Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts set to provide a bit of pace. Also, keep an eye out for Rocky Flintoff who could make his Hundred debut this summer.

Oval Invincibles

Sam and Tom Curran will turn out for the defending champions this summer, with Saqib Mahmood, Gus Atkinson, Will Jacks, and Sam Billings all set to turn out at the Oval. Their overseas quality comes in the form of Rashid Khan with the Afghanistan spinner being drafted in The Hundred for the first time.

Southern Brave

The Southern Brave certainly have a stacked bowling attack with Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills all set to feature. Some of his best years may be behind him, but Jason Roy can still put a big score on when he is in the mood and the Brave will be hoping he justifies his wildcard pick.

Trent Rockets

Despite not being known for his skills with the white ball, Joe Root is the headline name for the Nottingham-based Trent Rockets. Marcus Stoinis provides some of the overseas firepower, with Tom Banton also expected to star with the bat. New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson is the pick of the bowlers.

Welsh Fire

After some impressive knocks in the T20 Blast, the flame-haired Jonny Bairstow will once again turn out for Welsh Fire with former Yorkshire colleague Tom Kohler-Cadmore also spearheading the batting. Aussie trio Chris Green, Steve Smith, and Riley Meredith will also feature alongside England’s Chris Woakes.

The Hundred 2025 Betting

The outright betting for the 2025 Hundred sees the Oval Invincibles installed as favourites to retain their title, with the Southern Brave a further tick behind. The Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix are both priced at 11/2.

Full Hundred 2025 betting:

Oval Invincibles: 3/1

Southern Brave: 4/1

Birmingham Phoenix: 11/2

Manchester Originals: 11/2

Northern Superchargers: 13/2

Trent Rockets: 7/1

Welsh Fire: 10/1

London Spirit: 14/1

When Does The Hundred Start?

The 2025 Hundred gets underway on Tuesday 5^th August, with a derby in the capital as the London Spirit hosting the Oval Invincibles. Southern Brave travel to Manchester Originals on Wednesday, with Northern Superchargers playing Welsh Fire in Leeds on Thursday. The first week’s action is rounded off with Birmingham Phoenix’s match with the Trent Rockets.

Where Can I Watch The Hundred?

Action for The Hundred will once again be shown across Sky Sports and the BBC.