What is the Hundred?
The Hundred is a franchise-based cricket tournament that includes 8 men’s and women’s teams based out of major cities across England and Wales. Cricket fans and bettors are debating which team will win the all-new Hundred tournament. Bettors can visit onlinecricketbets.in to get the latest information and betting tips on the great new tournament before every match.
The all-new Hundred cricket tournament has been labelled as the “death knell” for traditional cricket. While traditionalists have decried the new cricket tournament format, many fans are excited about the new competition. It is hoped that the fast-paced cricket tournament won’t just attract long-time fans but will make new ones too.
How will the Hundred work?
The Hundred will have the shortest format in cricket tournaments. Each cricket team will bowl just 100 balls to opponents. Whichever team scores the most runs from the 100 balls bowled will win the match. Sounds simple enough, right?
As it stands, T20 cricket is the shortest format in the sport. T20 is played with 120 balls bowled and 20 overs for each team. The popularity of T20 and leagues such as the Indian Premier League has influenced organisers to consider shortening the length of cricket games further. The shorter the length, the more action the game is likely to have for fans.
The tournament’s format makes it the first not to count balls bowled by overs. Bowlers have the option to bowl five or 10 balls in a row and must alternate between ends every 10 balls. Like other short forms of cricket, the Hundred will feature a Powerplay in each innings. The Powerplay takes place during the first 25 balls of each innings. During the Powerplay, teams can place just two fielders outside the inner circle. Teams also have the option to call timeouts.
The tournament schedule will follow the round-robin format in the league stage, followed by playoffs to decide the champion team. You can find out here – what is round-robin schedule format in Cricket?
Teams will play four matches at home and four matches away. This will include one match against every other side and then a second bonus match against their nearest regional rivals. Sounds interesting, right?
Who are the teams?
Eight cricket clubs were created in England and Wales to compete in the Hundred. Teams represent counties already recognised by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Clubs include:
- Manchester Originals
- Northern Superchargers
- Birmingham Phoenix
- Trent Rockets
- Welsh Fire
- London Spirit
- Oval Invincibles
- Southern Brave
Each club competing in the Hundred have a men’s and women’s cricket team. Each squad is made up of 15 players. One of the 15-member squad is an England red-ball contracted player. The remaining 14 players have been drafted using a bidding system similar to American sports and the IPL.
When does the season begin?
The Hundred was originally supposed to begin in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented this from occurring, however. The delay has led to a lot of criticism over the tournament and the “Americanizing” of cricket.
The tournament has attracted unwanted attention due to some traditional cricket terminology being altered to reflect baseball. The proposed change to basic cricket terminology has caused many players and pundits to criticise the new tournament.
The inaugural season of the tournament is now set to be played this summer with both the women’s and men’s competitions starting on July 21 and 22, respectively. The tournament will run for just one month and conclude on August 21. The final for both women and men will take place on August 21 at Lord’s.
