What does the future hold for The Hundred?

Oval Invincibles made it back-to-back titles for the men while Heather Knight’s London Spirit claimed the women’s crown in what was a low-key fourth edition of The Hundred.

With speculation rife about what the future holds for the England and Wales Cricket’s brainchild amid attempts to secure private investment, the PA news agency looks at some of the big talking points.

Has this year been a success?

It is difficult to make a case for resoundingly so, with television audience figures reportedly down.

The ECB announced 540,000 tickets were sold, which represents a slight decline from 580,000 last year. To the naked eye, though, there were perpetually big gaps in crowds outside of Lord’s and the Kia Oval.

While an increase in women’s salaries led to the biggest names turning up, the men’s tournament lacked for star power amid a clash with Major League Cricket in the United States and Canada’s Global T20.

Were there any mitigating factors?

Having two weeks in direct competition with the Olympics was always likely to have an impact, while Euro 2024 has also loomed large on the sporting horizon this summer.

The Hundred perhaps capitalised on being hot on the heels of one of the most exhilarating Ashes series of the modern age 12 months ago.

But it has been more of a muted summer as a whole in 2024, with the West Indies and Sri Lanka – neither of whom can be considered to be in a golden era – the Test tourists.

So, what were the positives?

While there were perhaps fewer eyeballs on what was happening on the field, according to official statistics nearly a third of tickets sold were to women and 41 per cent to families.

This points to a wide-ranging audience – one of the major reasons the ECB launched what is still viewed as a divisive 100-ball format, which is played nowhere else in the world.

Another ECB aim was to broaden the women’s game and it can be argued The Hundred is one of the market leaders, with record attendances at seven of the eight grounds for a women’s match.

What next, then?

A television rights deal until 2028 means continuing whispers about converting The Hundred into a T20 competition in line with the rest of the blue-chip domestic events around the globe are on the back-burner in the short-to-medium-term.

However, the global cricketing landscape is changing and the ECB is open in its efforts to attract investment to the eight franchises.

A sales process is set to launch next month, with interested parties invited to bid for a 49 per cent stake in each team. The teams will be given the remaining 51 per cent, which they can keep or sell.

How will this change The Hundred

Among the factions keen to get involved are reportedly the owners of all Indian Premier League clubs, plus several American consortiums, including one led by Hollywood actor and Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds.

It is hoped that by bringing on board investors with deep pockets, The Hundred can up the wage structure – its £125,000 top bracket for males is outstripped by not just the IPL but other T20 tournaments.