The Hundred will adopt a new system of player recruitment next season, with the draft to be dropped in favour of an open auction that gives franchises the chance to make direct signings on multi-year deals.
The Guardian has learned that after discussions between the new ownership groups, the new investors have agreed to adopt a hybrid model similar to that used in the Indian Premier League, where franchises are permitted to offer contracts of up to three years that are negotiated directly with the incoming player.
The recruitment system will be one of the main items on the agenda when the new Hundred board meets for the first time on Monday, with formal signoff of the updated regulations expected in October and the first auction planned for next February.
The England and Wales Cricket Board introduced the draft before the Hundred’s planned launch in 2020, which was delayed by 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with each franchise permitted to sign two players each from seven fixed salary bands, ranging from £30,000 to £125,000 for the men’s competition.
While the top men’s salary has increased to £200,000 and other minor changes have been made – such as introducing 10 retained player slots and allowing each franchise to make one direct overseas signing for the first time this summer – the draft has largely remained unchanged.
A source involved in the discussions said the new investors, who have paid a total of £520m for stakes of between 49% and 100% in the eight franchises, want a major shake-up of recruitment with the emphasis on greater player movement, bigger budgets and more big-name overseas signings.
As a result, the squad salary pot for 15 players of £1.2m in the men’s competition and £429,000 in the women’s tournament will increase next year. Franchises will not be obliged to spend up to the cap, but a so-called salary collar will be introduced to guarantee a minimum level of investment in the hope of ensuring the Hundred remains competitive.
While the finer details have yet to be agreed, it is understood that about 12 players in each squad will be allocated via an open auction with franchises able to bid as much as they want, as long as they stay within the overall cap. Beyond that franchises will have the flexibility to negotiate directly with up to three players and offer them longer-term contracts for the first time.
While not a completely free market, it is anticipated that the new model will lead to the biggest amount of movement between franchises since the start of the Hundred, as well as giving the players more freedom.
Increasing the salary cap should help firmly establish the Hundred as the second-biggest short-form competition in the world after the IPL and attract some of the overseas players who have previously preferred to spend the summer playing in Major League Cricket in the United States, such as Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Quinton de Kock.
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The 30% salary increases this year brought wage levels on par with those on offer in Australia’s Big Bash Leagues. The top men’s salary of £200,000 falls into the AUS$360,000-$420,000 range for platinum BBL picks, while the top women’s salary of £65,000 is slightly more than the AUS$110,000 on offer in the WBBL.
As previously reported, a change of playing conditions to a Twenty20 competition is on the cards, and will be discussed at next week’s board meeting. The Hundred board is comprised of four representatives from the ECB and one each from the eight host venues and new investors, giving the franchises the balance of power.
In a potentially intriguing development, Ravichandran Ashwin’s announcement that he is retiring from the IPL earlier on Wednesday has raised the prospect of the first Indian player being recruited by a Hundred franchise next year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India bars current Indian players from appearing in foreign franchise leagues, but this restriction no longer affects Ashwin, who the Daily Telegraph reports is eager to explore playing in the Hundred and other global competitions.
Dinesh Karthik became the first Indian player to feature in the South African SA20 competition this year, so there is a precedent for Ashwin to follow after his domestic retirement.
