Although some cricket fans still need convincing about The Hundred, the signs are that the unique competition is going to remain part of the domestic cricket landscape for the foreseeable future.
The ECB’s desire to create a British version of the IPL has led them to the 100-ball format, although franchises haven’t quite been able to persuade all of the best players in the business to give The Hundred a try.
That said, the 2026 edition is shaping up to be stronger than ever, with several players that caught the eye in the IPL set to shine in the summer showpiece this July-August.
Jacks the Lad
The online betting odds for the 2026 edition of The Hundred place MI London as the most likely winners at 11/4, ahead of Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds (both 11/2).
And why not, given that they’ve won each of the last three renewals of the competition? Their squad oozes class and experience in equal measure, with the Curran brothers joined by the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult and Nathan Sowter.
Another MI London player who excelled at the IPL was Will Jacks, who did plenty from just five innings in India.
The 27-year-old scored 92 runs from just 51 balls faced, with 14 of those flayed to the fence (eight boundaries and six sixes), for a strike rate of an eye-popping 180.39 – not bad considering he missed the first four games of Mumbai Indians’ campaign.
Although his stint in the IPL has been brief this year, Jacks once again proved that he’s one of the most destructive hitters in limited overs cricket, as he had previously shown at the T20 World Cup, where he received Team of the Tournament honours.
MI London have also bolstered their ranks with Richard Gleeson, who was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that dominated the league phase of IPL 2026.
A Klaasen Above
After 62 matches of IPL 2026, five players had scored 500 or more runs. Four of them were home favourites – including Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, while the fifth was the powerful South African, Heinrich Klaasen.
That’s good news for the Manchester Super Giants, who have retained Klaasen’s services for The Hundred this season. He will be joined by his countryman, Aiden Markram, as well as the ever-classy Jos Buttler and England international Josh Tongue.
At the time of writing, 13 centuries had been blasted in IPL 2026. One of those belongs to Finn Allen, who made World Cup history earlier this year when hammering 100 not out from just 33 balls in the semi-final win over South Africa, the fastest ton the tournament has ever seen.
Allen has signed on the dotted line for the Trent Rockets for The Hundred, where he will be joined by another player who caught the eye in India’s flagship limited overs competition.
Tim David’s strike rate of 196.99, at the time of writing, is bettered by only five players in the IPL – one of them being Allen himself. A batting average of 37.42, in this class of company, is truly elite.
With Ben Duckett, Mitchell Santner and Tom Banton also amongst the Trent Rockets squad, could they be dark horses for The Hundred title in 2026?
