Ben Duckett scored an unbeaten half-century for the Trent Rockets against the Welsh Fire on Wednesday, but only 7,400 people were in Cardiff to see it. The England opener's performance came amid a trend of reduced attendances across the 2026 edition of The Hundred, its sixth season.
Dwindling crowds
“You look at every side, and it's just world-class opponents,” Duckett told Cricinfo. “I'm so surprised that the crowds have been what they have, because I'd be desperate to watch some of these guys play cricket. They've not been great. Just looking around the grounds, there must be a reason for it.”
The article argues that the ECB has taken a divisive competition and made it worse. Four of the eight Hundred franchises are now at least part-owned by IPL teams, after counties were given a 51% stake that could be sold on.
Loss of local identity
The former Northern Superchargers, based at Headingley, are now known as Sunrisers Leeds after being taken over by the Sun Group, which owns Sunrisers Hyderabad. They play in orange and have only two Yorkshire players. Many fans from other parts of Yorkshire are reluctant to support a team named Leeds.
A social media video showed Sunrisers Leeds players awkwardly singing Leeds United's anthem “Marching On Together” from a sheet of paper; it was later removed after a negative reaction.
Metro Bank Cup resurgence
In contrast, Yorkshire have sold out back-to-back Metro Bank Cup games at York while Headingley is used for The Hundred. The 50-over competition is enjoying a resurgence as counties field local youngsters. Seven of the 11 Yorkshire players who faced Worcestershire came through the club's academy. Ben Stokes, the biggest name in English cricket, is playing in the Metro Bank Cup rather than the ECB's flagship tournament.
