While there is no possibility of Hundred pay rising to IPL levels despite the wealth of new owners such as the Ambani family, who now own 49% of Oval Invincibles, and the Silicon Valley investors who paid £145m to partner with the MCC at London Spirit, all the new investors agree that salaries should rise significantly.
With a maximum budget of £1.17m for 15 players in the men’s competition the Hundred salary cap is less than half the highest individual IPL salary, with Rishbah Pant signed for £2.54m by Lucknow Super Giants at last November’s mega auction in Saudi Arabia.
The Hundred could introduce an IPL-style open auction next year with the new investors who have bought stakes in the eight franchises pushing for unlimited budgets to attract the best players in the world.
Under the existing regulations the Hundred Player Draft operates on the basis of franchises taking turns to pick players at a number of set salary levels controlled by the ECB, rather than entering an open bidding war.
The current Hundred Draft is a two-stage process, with franchises permitted to retain up to 10 players from their existing squads before making their selections, with last season’s bottom-placed team getting first pick and the champions choosing last.
