Trent Rockets Top Both Tables as the Hundred Gets an IPL-Style Makeover
Trent Rockets topped both the men's and women's tables to reach the Hundred finals at Lord's, capping a sixth edition of the tournament that looked very different from anything that came before it The Guardian.
The Hundred — a format where each side faces 100 balls per innings, with the fielding side changing ends every 10 balls — has been remodelled for 2026. The England and Wales Cricket Board sold its stakes in all eight team companies during the year ended 31 January 2026 ECB Financial Statements, opening the door to private investment from Indian Premier League franchise owners, tech investors, and even Birmingham footballer Jude Bellingham, who took a stake in Birmingham Phoenix The Guardian.
The money brought new names. Oval Invincibles became MI London, the brand of the Mumbai Indians IPL empire, under a deal with investment funds Cain & Ares Management The Hundred. Other teams followed suit: Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants, and a Southern Brave side now linked to the Delhi Capitals The Guardian. The eight-team lineup also included Welsh Fire, Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix and London Spirit The Hundred.
Not every rebrand landed smoothly. Sunrisers shared a clip of their men's side singing a new team song — read off sheets of paper — then deleted it after ridicule The Guardian.
On the field, Trent Rockets' success spanned both competitions. Sophia Dunkley and Ben Duckett were among their leading run-scorers The Guardian. Director of cricket Mick Newell credited the Rockets' link with Nottinghamshire, the county whose Trent Bridge ground they call home, with building a stable setup. Peter Moores coached the men's side; former England wicketkeeper Chris Read ran the women's The Guardian.
The women's side gained a high-profile recruit in Georgia Adams, who joined the Rockets after four seasons at Southern Brave. Adams had reached three finals and captained the Brave, but was let go when the tournament rebooted with an auction system following the arrival of private investment — a format change where teams rebuilt their squads from scratch rather than retaining players The Guardian.
Group-stage matches ran from 21 July to 2 August 2026 across eight venues: The Kia Oval, Lord's, Utilita Bowl, Edgbaston, Headingley, Sophia Gardens, Emirates Old Trafford and Trent Bridge The Hundred. One women's match at Old Trafford on 26 July was abandoned without a ball bowled The Hundred.
Crowds, though, told a quieter story. The 2026 edition followed a trend of reduced attendance Mirror, with total attendances having slipped from the roughly 580,000 recorded in both 2023 and 2025. Ben Duckett, the Rockets and England batter, said he was surprised by the dip ESPNcricinfo. The average broadcast audience did rise by 7.5% ECB, suggesting that while fewer people came through the gates, more watched from home.
The tournament's broader reach has historically been its selling point: in 2022, 14.1 million watched live coverage, 31% of them women and 42% watching no other cricket that year The Guardian. The inaugural Disability Hundred also took place in 2026, with Sussex credited for pushing the boundaries of what disability cricket can look like ECB.
For all the new owners, new names and new money, the old cricket truths held. Runs on the board, wickets in hand, and a settled squad still won the day. Trent Rockets proved that across both competitions.
