The Hundred 2026: New owners, new names and a fresh look for tournament

The 2026 edition of The Hundred begins on Tuesday, 21 July, with significant changes on and off the field. The ECB's sale of stakes in all eight teams, finalised in 2025, has brought new owners, re-branded clubs and updated kit designs ahead of the competition's sixth season.

All eight franchises have been either partially or fully acquired by new investors. Four of the ownership groups are linked to Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, while Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has purchased a 49% stake in Trent Rockets. The ECB says over £500m from the sales will be reinvested into English and Welsh cricket.

As part of the ownership deals, three teams have been renamed to align with their IPL partners. Northern Superchargers are now Sunrisers Leeds, Oval Invincibles have become MI London, and Manchester Originals are now Manchester Super Giants. The teams have also updated their badges and kits accordingly.

What's changed?

• Southern Brave switched from green and black to blue and red.
• MI London now use blue and gold, matching Mumbai Indians.
• London Spirit changed from dark blue to purple and black with red and yellow trim.
• Sunrisers Leeds swapped purple and white for orange and black.
• Manchester Super Giants revealed a red, white and yellow badge featuring an elephant, with their shirt still to be released.

Trent Rockets, Welsh Fire and Birmingham Phoenix are the only teams to keep their existing badges and shirt colour schemes largely unchanged.

Schedule and knockout format

The tournament opens with a women's match between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval on Tuesday at 14:45 BST, followed by the men's game between the same sides later that evening. Daily matches run until the group stage ends on Wednesday, 12 August.

The eliminator takes place on Friday, 14 August in both competitions, with the teams finishing second and third in the group stage meeting for a place in the final.

With the re-branding and new investment, the 2026 edition of The Hundred is set to look very different from previous years. Fans will be watching closely to see whether the revamped competition delivers on the pitch as well as off it.