The Hundred Cricket Rules: All You Need to Know about the 100 Ball Tournament

The Hundred is a franchise-based 100-ball cricket league that has been played in England. It includes eight franchises for both men’s and women’s teams, based on the prime cities of England and Wales. This unique league is run under the authority of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The aim of developing a 100-ball tournament was to attract more younger generations towards the game of cricket and make it more interesting.

The inaugural edition of the tournament took place between July and August 2021. This tournament takes place for five weeks during the summer. Both men’s and women’s matches are played alongside each other. And it includes some big names from the world of cricket.

Both the matches for men’s and women’s are played on the same ground on the same day consecutively. The best part for the fans is that a single ticket can let you enjoy both matches for men’s and women’s. The idea of this format came in September 2016, but it finally came into recognition five years later, in 2021.

The Hundred Competition Rules

The Hundred tournament runs on a totally different concept as compared to other cricket or T20 leagues. That is why it has different playing conditions and rules. The Hundred began with the usual, but something different in cricket history. That is the reason many former and current cricketers believe that this competition will bring something really new to the game.

However, there are some certain rules that you need to know to understand the 100-ball tournament more.

• It is a 100-ball per innings: Both teams are allowed to play a maximum of 100 balls in their respective inning.
• The team that has scored the most runs will win the game.
• The bowling team will change the ends only after 10 deliveries.
• A bowler can bowl either five or ten balls on the trot. It will be the captain who will decide whether the bowler will bowl five or ten balls.
• Every bowler is allowed to bowl a maximum of 20 balls per innings.
• Just like in the IPL, in this competition as well, every team will get two timeouts in the innings. That will be up to two and half minutes.
• During the mid-match, the coach of the team is allowed to come out on the ground to discuss the match tactics and strategies with the team and players.
• Unlike the 6-over power-play in T20 games, there will be a 25-ball power-play in a Hundred match.
• As per the power-play restrictions, only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard or inner circle during the power-play.
• A match will run for two and a half hours, which includes both innings.
• The strategic time-out will be decided by the captain of the team. Just as it happens in IPL games.
• Once a batter is out caught, the non-striker will come back to the bowler’s end or non-striker’s end.
• Unlike in the white-ball format, no ball in a Hundred match will be worth two runs with a free hit.
• All of the eight Hundred franchises will have to pick one test-playing cricketer from England for their side.
• If a team has a slow overrate as a result of penalty, they will have to keep one extra fielder in the circle in the last over of the game.

Teams in the competition

This competition includes eight different teams, based on the major cities in England. Both men’s and women’s teams are run under the same name. Only Birmingham Phoenix has two different names. The men’s team is called Birmingham Phoenix Men, and the women’s team is called Birmingham Phoenix Women. Let’s check the team and their home ground.

The Hundred 2023 Edition

The third edition of the tournament, The Hundred 2023 will kick off on Friday, August 1. The defending champions, Trent Rockets, will face Southern Brave in the first match. Both men’s and women’s games are scheduled alongside. The final will take place on August 27. A total of 34 games will take place in this competition.