Key Highlights:
- The Hundred crowns its 2026 men's and women's champions at Lord's this Sunday, 16 August, with the women's final at 2.15pm and the men's at 6pm.
- This is the first season where IPL-linked owners have taken operational control of English teams: Mumbai Indians now own MI London, Sunrisers Hyderabad own Sunrisers Leeds, and Manchester Super Giants are Adani-backed.
- Trent Rockets topped both the men's and women's group tables outright, meaning they're already through to both finals without needing to survive Friday's eliminators at all.
The Hundred reaches its climax at Lord's this Sunday, and for the first time, three of English cricket's most famous grounds are being represented by teams that didn't exist under these names a year ago. Mumbai Indians now run what used to be Oval Invincibles, rebranded MI London. Sunrisers Hyderabad control the team formerly known as Northern Superchargers, now Sunrisers Leeds. Manchester Originals became Manchester Super Giants under Adani-backed ownership. It's the biggest structural change English domestic cricket has seen since The Hundred launched in 2021.
None of that money bought a spot in Sunday's final outright, though. That's currently sitting with Trent Rockets, in both competitions, without any takeover at all.
What actually changed at the top of English cricket this year?
For the first time, IPL-linked investment groups took direct operational control of three franchises rather than simply holding a minority stake, following an ECB restructuring that valued the eight teams at more than £975 million. Player recruitment changed too: 2026 introduced cricket's first live player auction for the competition, replacing the old draft system, held in London over two days in March. Overseas player slots per side rose from three to four, and the rebranded teams came with sharply increased spending power to match their new ownership.
The intent behind the overhaul was straightforward: more investment, higher-profile signings, and a tournament positioned to compete for attention against franchise leagues the IPL owners already know intimately.
So why isn't one of the rebranded teams already in the final?
Because Trent Rockets did their business quietly instead. Both the men's and women's Rockets sides finished top of their respective eight-team group tables, which under The Hundred's format sends the league leader straight through to Lord's, no eliminator required. ESPNcricinfo has credited the club's auction strategy and recruitment planning specifically for getting them there, rather than any single standout signing.
It leaves a genuinely interesting split heading into the weekend: the sides with the biggest new financial backing are still fighting through Friday's eliminators at the Kia Oval to even reach Sunday, while the team that didn't rebrand or bring in new ownership has already booked its place in both finals.
| Finals Day, Lord's, Sunday 16 August | |
|---|---|
| Women's final | 2.15pm, Trent Rockets vs eliminator winner |
| Men's final | 6pm, Trent Rockets vs eliminator winner |
| Women's eliminator (14 Aug) | Southern Brave vs Sunrisers Leeds |
| Men's eliminator (14 Aug) | Manchester Super Giants vs Sunrisers Leeds |
| Reigning champions | MI London (men's, as Oval Invincibles); Sunrisers Leeds (women's, as Northern Superchargers) |
| Reserve day | Monday 17 August |
Who else is worth watching if Trent Rockets aren't your team?
Sunrisers Leeds have real form heading into their eliminators in both competitions, with Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland driving their women's side into a four-match winning streak after a slow start, and the men's team fighting to defend the title they won last year as Northern Superchargers' city rivals. Manchester Super Giants reached the men's eliminator on the back of a dominant win over Sunrisers Leeds that doubled as a virtual knockout match days earlier.
Whichever teams make it through, Sunday closes out a tournament that's already made its biggest change off the pitch rather than on it. Whether the IPL ownership experiment actually shows up in the results starts to matter from next season onward. This year, the story so far is that it hasn't.
