The Hundred: Date, schedule, history & betting odds

The Hundred is a 100-ball domestic cricket competition which was launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board in the summer of 2021 and returns this month for its fourth season.

The same eight city-based franchises as last year compete in men's and women's tournaments and organisers will be hoping that The Hundred's popularity continues to grow in 2024.

The teams are spread throughout England and Wales and are based in big cities as Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave and Welsh Fire all battle it out to become men's and women's champions.

Last year, Oval Invincibles won the men's competition for the first time and Southern Brave were the women's champions.

The Hundred Dates

The Hundred 2024 gets underway on Tuesday 23rd July with a double header at The Oval in the men's and women's tournaments as Oval Invincibles host Birmingham Phoenix.

There are then more double headers in the men's and women's competitions, with matches taking place daily throughout July and August.

After the group stage concludes, the Eliminators are set to take place on Saturday 17th August, with both Finals scheduled for Sunday 18th August.

The Hundred Time

Most of The Hundred fixtures are double-headers featuring women's and men's matches at the same venue on the same day.

The women's matches take place earlier in the day, usually at either 14.30 or 15.00 (BST), with the men's matches usually starting later, at around at either 18.00 or 18.30 BST.

The Hundred Venues

The eight teams in The Hundred are located in various cities across England and Wales, with matches taking place in Birmingham, London, Manchester, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Cardiff.

Birmingham Phoenix play their home games at Edgbaston, Oval Invincibles at The Oval, London Spirit at Lord's and Manchester Originals at OId Trafford.

Northern Superchargers are based at Headingley, Southern Brave's games are staged at the Rose Bowl, Trent Rockets play at Trent Bridge and Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens.

The Eliminators are at The Oval and both the men's and women's finals are held at Lord's.

The Hundred How to watch

Fans of The Hundred can watch every ball of every match on Sky Sports' dedicated channel, Sky Sports The Hundred.

There are also 15 matches which will be broadcast live on BBC TV, on either BBC1 or BBC2 as well as the iPlayer, including the opening Women's and Men's double header and both finals.

The Hundred Format

The Hundred is a 100-ball cricket tournament which involves eight men's and eight women's teams. The teams are all located in major cities across England and Wales and the ECB governs the event.

Like one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches, The Hundred is a limited-overs event in which each team bats in a single innings made up of 100 deliveries.

In the league stage of the competition, each side plays four matches at home and four games on the road.

The teams who finish top of the men's and women's leagues progress straight into the final, while those who finish second and third in the table play off in an eliminator.

The Hundred History

The 2024 season will be the fourth edition of The Hundred. The inaugural event took place in 2021 and, despite some initial scepticism, the tournament has captured the imagination of limited-overs cricket fans.

Southern Brave were the first men's champions in 2021 with Trent Rockets lifting the trophy in 2022 and Oval Invincibles triumphing in 2023. Manchester Originals were the losing finalists in each of the last two campaigns.

In the women's tournament, Oval Invincibles claimed back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 before Southern Brave, captained by England bowler Anya Shrubsole, beat Northern Superchargers by 34 runs in the 2023 final.

The Hundred Draft System

The men's and women's squads are made up of 15 players, four of whom can be from overseas. Players are signed using a draft system which is similar to those used in other franchise leagues such as the Indian Premier League.

At least one England international player is signed to each team in The Hundred but the draft is a crucial factor in the success of each franchise.

In 2023 the women's competition featured a draft for the first time. Each of the eight women's teams expanded their squads to eight players before the final seven spots were filled on an open-market basis.

From July 2023, the men's franchises were able to add two more players through the Wildcard Draft, which offers opportunities to players who have impressed during the Vitality Blast, the T20 tournament for English county teams.

The Hundred Favourites

Oval Invincibles Men were worthy champions of The Hundred in 2023, losing only one of their eight league matches before a 14-run victory over Manchester Originals in the final, and they are 4/1 favourites to retain their title this year.

The Invincibles have kept hold of a strong core of England internationals, including Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Sam Billings, Gus Atkinson and Tom Curran, who was player of the match in the 2023 final.

Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix are both 5/1 to win the men's competition in 2024, Trent Rockets are 13/2, London Spirit, Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave are all rated at 7/1 to win, while Welsh Fire are 8/1.

In the women's competition, Southern Brave are 5/2 to successfully defend their crown, ahead of Northern Superchargers at 4/1, Welsh Fire at 9/2 and Oval Invincibles at 7/1. Next in the outright market come Trent Rockets at 9/1, London Spirit and Manchester Originals (both 10/1), and Welsh Fire (12/1).

Read more on The Hundred 2024 men's and women's odds.