The Hundred is tearing up its old playbook. After years of using a draft system, the tournament switches to an IPL-style auction for 2026.
Teams will bid against each other with real money instead of taking turns picking players.
The Hundred 2026 auction rules explained show a complete shift in how franchises build squads.
The men’s auction happens on March 12, with the women’s event on March 11. Over 300 players will be sold across both days as teams rebuild from scratch.
The change happened after the ECB sold stakes in The Hundred franchises to private owners, including four IPL team owners.
A working group with representatives from all eight teams, plus the PCA and ECB, agreed that the auction model would replace the draft.
The Hundred 2026 Auction Rules Explained
Direct Signings Before Auction Day
Teams didn’t show up to the auction completely empty-handed. The Hundred 2026 auction rules allowed strategic pre-signing before bidding began.
Each franchise could sign up to four players directly without competition.
These signings came with specific restrictions:
- At least one had to be a retention from the previous year’s squad
- Maximum two England players with central contracts could be signed
- Maximum two overseas players could be signed
All eight men’s teams used their full quota of four direct signings. Four women’s teams chose to sign only three players each: Manchester Originals Women, Sunrisers Leeds Women, Welsh Fire Women, and MI London Women.
Financial Impact of Direct Signings
| Team Category | Players Signed | Money Deducted |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Teams | 4 players | £950,000 |
| Women’s Teams | 4 players | £360,000 |
| Women’s Teams | 3 players | £310,000 |
These pre-auction signings reduced the money available for auction day.
Men’s teams that signed four players had £950,000 deducted from their total budget.
Women’s teams lost either £360,000 or £310,000, depending on how many they signed.
Total Budget and Remaining Funds
Player salaries increased for 2026. Men’s teams received a starting budget of £2.05 million. Women’s teams got £880,000 to build their squads.
After direct signings, the auction budgets look different:
- All eight men’s teams have £1.1 million left for the auction
- Women’s teams that signed four players have £520,000 remaining
- Women’s teams that signed three players have £570,000 remaining
Teams must build squads of specific sizes. Men’s teams need 16-18 players total. Women’s teams need exactly 15 players.
This creates strategic tension. Spend big on a few stars, and you risk not having enough players. Spread money evenly, and you might lack match-winners.
How the Player Longlist Got Created?
Nearly 1,000 players registered for The Hundred 2026 auction rules list. That’s far too many names to auction in two days.
The tournament used a filtering process. Each of the eight franchises submitted nominations for 75-100 players they wanted to target.
Organizers compiled these team lists into two final longlists.
The men’s auction longlist contains 243 players. The women’s longlist has 178 players.
These lists include different player categories based on star power and demand.
Hero players sit at the top, divided into Marquee, Tier One, and Tier Two groups.
Selection used franchise nominations and career statistics from CricViz data.
Player Categories and Bidding Order
Not every player enters the auction at the same time. The Hundred 2026 auction rules establish a specific order based on player categories.
Marquee Players Go First
Two sets of Marquee Players open each auction. The first set features domestic players, followed by international stars.
Men’s Marquee Players:
First Set (Domestic):
- Jonny Bairstow
- Adil Rashid
- James Vince
- Jordan Cox
- Joe Root
Second Set (International):
- Aiden Markram
- David Miller
- Sunil Narine
- Haris Rauf
- Daryl Mitchell
Women’s Marquee Players:
First Set (Domestic):
- Dani Gibson
- Sarah Glenn
- Amy Jones
- Tammy Beaumont
- Davina Perrin
Second Set (International):
- Nadine De Klerk
- Sophie Devine
- Beth Mooney
- Sophie Molineux
- Deepti Sharma
The Hero Player Phase
After Marquee Players, the auction moves through Tier One players, then Tier Two. This entire section is called the Hero player auction phase.
Once all Hero players have been called, something interesting happens. Teams get to nominate 25 additional players each. These can include Hero players who went unsold.
Players with the most nominations across all eight teams become Ranked Players. Teams then bid on these Ranked Players in the next phase.
Ranked and Nominated Players
The Ranked Player phase follows the Hero auction. These are players that multiple teams showed interest in during the nomination round.
Finally, the Nominated Player phase closes the auction. A random draw determines the order in which teams pick.
They take turns selecting from the remaining players on the longlist.
Not every player on the longlist gets called. Those at the bottom only come up if teams still have roster spots to fill.
| Auction Round | Player Category | Selection Method |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Marquee Players | Open bidding |
| Round 2 | Tier One & Two | Open bidding |
| Round 3 | Ranked Players | Teams nominate 25 each, top nominations bid |
| Round 4 | Nominated Players | Random draw order, teams pick |
Reserve Prices Set the Floor
Every player sets a reserve price before the auction. This is the minimum amount a team must pay to sign them.
Reserve prices follow boundaries established by tournament rules. Players can’t just demand any figure they want. They pick from preset ranges.
If bidding reaches a player’s reserve price and no team goes higher, they get sold at that minimum. If no team bids at all, they go unsold and don’t get a contract.
No Right to Match This Year
One major change from last year’s draft: there’s no Right to Match option in 2026.
Last year, teams could automatically keep a player by matching another team’s highest offer. That safety net is gone.
Now, if another franchise bids higher, you either outbid them or lose the player.
Period. No matching clauses or automatic retention rights beyond the pre-auction direct signings.
Tactical View: Why Auction Order Matters?
The sequence of player categories creates strategic complications most fans don’t consider.
Marquee players going first means teams must decide early whether to spend big. Imagine you have £1.1 million total and your top target is Jonny Bairstow.
If bidding hits £400,000, you’ve spent more than a third of your budget on one player before seeing who else becomes available.
That creates a domino effect. Overpay for the first marquee name and you’re hunting bargains the rest of the day.
Show restraint early, and you might miss your primary target, but keep financial flexibility.
The Hero, Ranked, Nominated structure adds pressure. Hero players who go unsold get another chance as Ranked Players if teams nominate them.
This creates psychological games. Do you let a player go unsold, hoping to get them cheaper in the Ranked phase?
Or do you secure them immediately, knowing other teams want them too?
Watch for teams that have prepared well versus teams improvising.
The prepared franchises know their maximum price for every player before the auction starts.
They have backup options ready. The improvisers panic when plans change and make expensive mistakes.
My Take: Pre-Signings Create Unequal Starting Points
The direct signing phase before the auction gives massive advantages to teams that choose wisely.
Think about it: if you signed four players at reasonable prices, you secured key pieces without competitive bidding.
You might have gotten players for £200,000 who would’ve cost £400,000 in the auction when three teams start fighting over them.
But if you overpaid for your direct signings, you’re hobbled before auction day even starts.
You have less money and fewer roster spots than teams that were disciplined.
The auction reveals which teams planned smartly months ago and which ones just threw money at big names without strategy.
By the end of March 12, some franchises will have balanced squads at reasonable prices.
Others will be scrambling to fill rosters with whatever money remains after overspending early.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much money do teams have for the auction?
Men’s teams have £1.1 million left after direct signings. Women’s teams have either £520,000 or £570,000, depending on whether they signed three or four players early.
- Can players be traded after the auction?
No trading mechanism exists in The Hundred auction rules. Once the auction ends, rosters are set for the season.
- What happens to players who don’t get picked?
They don’t receive Hundred contracts for 2026. They can register again next year or play in other tournaments.
- Do all longlist players get auctioned?
No. Only about 200 players from nearly 1,000 registrations made the longlist. Even those might not all get called if teams fill their squads early.
- How did they decide on reserve prices?
Players set their own reserve prices within boundaries established by tournament rules. The reserve is the minimum a team can pay for that player.
Wrapping Up
The Hundred 2026 auction rules create a completely different team-building environment than the old draft system.
Money decides everything. Strategy matters more than previous season performance.
Teams that studied player values, set maximum prices, and planned for multiple scenarios will dominate.
Teams that show up hoping to improvise will overpay for big names and struggle to complete balanced rosters.
The auction happens March 11-12.
By the end of those two days, we’ll know which franchises have smart management and which ones just have deep pockets with no plan.
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