The Hundred returns this summer with a new look, refreshed squads and no shortage of match-winners.
The sixth season begins at the Kia Oval on Tuesday 21 July, before the men’s and women’s champions are crowned at Lord’s on Sunday 16 August. Across 34 matchdays, both competitions will again run side by side, but 2026 feels like the beginning of a different era.
Three teams have changed name, the player market has been reshaped through direct signings, retentions, the Hundred Auction and the Vitality Wildcard selections, and several established stars have changed colours.
For Gray-Nicolls supporters, there is plenty to follow. Sam Billings has left the Oval to captain Trent Rockets, while Zak Crawley will lead a powerful SunRisers Leeds side at Headingley.
Which Hundred teams have changed names in 2026?
The Hundred will feature three new team identities this season.
Oval Invincibles are now MI London, Manchester Originals have become Manchester Super Giants, and Northern Superchargers will compete as SunRisers Leeds.
Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire retain their existing names.
There is plenty of continuity beneath the new branding. MI London begin the season as defending men’s champions after Oval Invincibles beat Trent Rockets in the 2025 final. SunRisers Leeds, meanwhile, inherit a women’s title won by Northern Superchargers against Southern Brave.
Fittingly, both defending champions will feature on the opening day at the Kia Oval.
The Hundred men’s competition preview
MI London remain the team to beat.
Sam Curran and Will Jacks lead a powerful retained core, with Rashid Khan and Nicholas Pooran adding elite international quality. James Vince, Tom Curran, Trent Boult and Gray-Nicolls batter Ollie Pope provide even greater depth to a squad packed with experience of winning this competition.
One of the biggest stories of the season, however, is Sam Billings’ move to Trent Rockets.
After helping to build the Invincibles’ winning culture, Billings was signed by the Rockets for £180,000 and has been named men’s captain. He joins a hugely exciting batting group containing Tim David, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and Finn Allen, with Mitchell Santner providing another experienced option.
THE PRODUCTS SUPPORTING SAM
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This is a line-up made to attack. Billings’ tactical experience and ability to absorb pressure could be the detail that takes last season’s finalists one step further. Expect to see his Havoc 1.0 in the middle when the game is on the line.
SunRisers Leeds should also be one of the most entertaining sides in the tournament.
Zak Crawley, who made an immediate impact at Headingley in 2025, now captains a batting order featuring Harry Brook, Mitch Marsh, Ryan Rickelton and Dan Lawrence.
Add Nathan Ellis, Brydon Carse, Abrar Ahmed and Matthew Potts, and there is genuine balance around the batting fireworks. Crawley’s Imperia and Brook’s unmistakable Havoc HB317 could be busy if the Headingley pitches encourage the aggressive cricket this group naturally plays.
The challengers do not end there.
Manchester Super Giants can throw Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram at any bowling attack, with Gray-Nicolls fast bowler Gus Atkinson part of a strong pace group.
Southern Brave have Jofra Archer, Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tristan Stubbs and Adil Rashid. Welsh Fire pair Phil Salt and Joe Root with Rachin Ravindra and Marco Jansen, while London Spirit have Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Dewald Brevis and Adam Zampa.
There are no soft fixtures in this competition.
The Hundred women’s competition preview
The women’s tournament may be even harder to call.
SunRisers Leeds are defending champions and have kept much of the core that lifted the trophy in 2025. Gray-Nicolls star Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield and Kate Cross return, while Dani Gibson captains the side.
Add Deepti Sharma and Jess Jonassen, two world-class spin-bowling all-rounders, and the champions look capable of controlling matches throughout every phase of an innings.
Trent Rockets have assembled one of the most intimidating batting groups in the competition.
Ash Gardner captains a squad featuring Nat Sciver-Brunt & Gray-Nicolls batters Sophia Dunkley and Beth Mooney, who was signed for £210,000. Mooney is one of franchise cricket’s most dependable run-scorers, while Dunkley’s ability to change the tempo gives the Rockets another route through the middle of an innings.
With Kim Garth also in the squad, Trent have quality and international experience on both sides of the ball.
Birmingham Phoenix could be the side that surprises people.
Ellyse Perry, Alice Capsey and Lauren Filer form a strong foundation, while Gray-Nicolls pair Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb add experience and top-order quality. Davina Perrin brings fearless young power to a batting line-up with a little bit of everything.
Southern Brave, runners-up last year, have retained Lauren Bell and Maia Bouchier, then added Jemimah Rodrigues, Sarah Glenn, Issy Wong and Tilly Corteen-Coleman around captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Bouchier’s 360-degree game and GEM bat are made for The Hundred.
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MI London can call upon Melie Kerr, Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, while Manchester Super Giants have Meg Lanning, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Ecclestone and Kathryn Bryce. Welsh Fire also look dangerous with Sophie Devine, Georgia Voll and Gray-Nicolls wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce.
Gray-Nicolls players to watch in The Hundred 2026
Billings and Crawley will carry the responsibility of captaincy, but they are far from the only Gray-Nicolls names capable of shaping the tournament.
Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Gus Atkinson and Sam Billings will feature in the men’s competition. In the women’s tournament, Beaumont, Lamb, Dunkley, Bouchier, Mooney, Kerr, Sutherland, Voll and the Bryce sisters give Gray-Nicolls representation at almost every ground.
So, who wins The Hundred in 2026?
MI London have earned their position among the men’s favourites, but Trent Rockets and SunRisers Leeds have the power to knock them off course. In the women’s tournament, the champions from Leeds set the standard, although the Rockets’ batting and Southern Brave’s balance immediately stand out.
New names. New colours. New combinations.
The format is familiar, but the story is completely fresh. Every ball counts, and this summer there will be Gray-Nicolls at the heart of plenty of them.
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