The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced sweeping changes to The Hundred's financial structure, dramatically reshaping how teams will build their squads for the 2025 season.
Salary Cap Revolution
In a bold strategic shift, the ECB has slashed the marquee player salary band from £125,000 to just £75,000 for the upcoming auction. This represents a substantial 40% reduction for the tournament's highest-paid stars, fundamentally altering team recruitment strategies.
Meanwhile, the overall team salary purse receives a significant boost, rising from £1 million to £1.1 million. This creates an intriguing dynamic where teams have more total money to spend but less flexibility at the top end of the market.
Women's Cricket Gets Major Boost
The women's competition continues its impressive growth trajectory with team purses increasing from £270,000 to £415,000 - a massive 54% uplift that underscores the ECB's commitment to developing the women's game.
Top women players will now earn up to £50,000, a substantial rise from the previous £31,250 cap, bringing greater financial parity and recognition to female cricketers.
Central Contract Clarity
The ECB has also clarified the position of centrally contracted England players. These stars will now occupy the £50,000 salary slot rather than the top £75,000 band, potentially making them more attractive to franchises looking for value.
This move could encourage teams to build more balanced squads with multiple England internationals rather than focusing spending on a single marquee name.
Auction Dynamics Transformed
With the draft scheduled for early 2025, these changes promise to create one of the most intriguing player markets since The Hundred's inception. Teams will need to rethink their approaches, potentially spreading their increased budgets across multiple quality players rather than splurging on individual superstars.
The changes reflect the ECB's ongoing evaluation of what creates the most competitive and entertaining tournament format, balancing star power with squad depth.
