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Follow UsWhat is The Hundred Men's 2024?
The Hundred Men's 2024 is a city-based competition hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Its first season was held in 2021, and 2024 marks its fourth edition.
Okay, when is it starting then?
The Hundred Men's 2024 will begin on July 23, with the defending champions Oval Invincibles taking on the Birmingham Phoenix at the Kennington Oval in London. The final of the tournament will be played on August 18 (Sunday) at the Lord’s in London.
The league stage will go on till August 15 while the Eliminator will take place on August 17 at the Kennington Oval.
How about the format now? Any changes?
As the name suggests, it is a hundred-ball competition, with 100 balls bowled in each innings.
However, the change of ends will take place after every 10 balls instead of six an over. The bowler, however, can bowl either five balls on a trot or 10, depending on the choice of the captain of the fielding team, with a maximum of 20 in an innings.
In total, all the teams will play eight matches each. The teams will play six teams once and their local pair twice. The four local pairs are as follows, and the names of the teams have not changed.
Who will get to the finals and how?
Each win will fetch a team two points and a tie one, and the team topping will move directly into the final. The second and third-placed teams play the Eliminator with the winner joining the top-ranked team in the final.
What's this weird league, tell me more about playing conditions
There is only one break in the middle of the innings called the strategic timeout. It is two minutes and the coach can join the team in the middle to strategise.
This break cannot be taken during the first 25 balls. These 25 balls also work as the powerplay and only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle in this period.
Can’t run out of time!!
The last set of five balls in an innings must start before the end of the 65 minutes from the start of the game. If a team fails to do so, they would have to keep an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle. Each match has a stipulated time of two hours and 30 minutes before which it should be completed.
But here is a catch: a team could avoid the penalty if they do not utilize their strategic timeout. Since it is not mandatory to take the timeout, the team can add two minutes extra to the allotted 65 minutes and avoid the penalty of having an extra fielder by not using the timeout.
Some more weird rules, please!!
Well, a no-ball will cost not just one but two extra runs to the fielding team. However, they can retract the fielders 15 yards back from their original position on the following free-hit delivery.
Super Five? Yes. If the match is tied, it will be decided by a Super Five. It is the same as Super Over in T20s but with only five balls. However, it will not continue for eternity to get a result.
There is no provision for a Super Five in the league stage, and the teams will get one point each in case of a tie. The Super Five will only come into play in the eliminator and the final.
If the first Super Five is tied, a second one will be played. But in case that is also tied, the team with higher standing in the league stage will move to the final in case of the Eliminator or will be crowned champions in case of the final.
Also, if two teams are tied on the same points and have the same net run rate, average points per match, and balls per wicket, the winner will be decided by drawing lots. Bizarre.
What are the venues for The Hundred 2024?
Eight venues across seven cities in England and Wales will host The Hundred 2024. The venues with their home teams and cities are as follows:
Who are the defending champions and the most successful team in The Hundred?
In the last three years, The Hundred Men's Competition has seen three different winners. Southern Brave were crowned champions in the inaugural season in 2021 after they beat Birmingham Phoenix. Trent Rockets went past the Manchester Original to lift the trophy in 2022. And Manchester were once again on the losing side when the London-based Oval Invincibles lifted the Cup in 2023.
I heard Pakistan players aren't playing, duh? What are some other developments?
Before I get to why Naseem Shah isn't playing, let me take you through some big changes.
Remember Andrew Flintoff? He's now the head coach of the Northern Superchargers, his first full-time gig as a coach. And, with Flintoff, will coach none other than *drumroll* Ben Stokes, England's Test captain. Stokes is returning after three years, a long time phew.
Oh, ya, that Naseem thing, so PCB haven't given him a No-Objection Certificate (NOC), which means he won't play.
Let's cut to the chase: who is leading whom, and who are their head coaches? I heard Fleming is there, too!
Who won the bidding war?
Unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL) or other franchise-based cricket leagues, a player cannot earn an insurmountable amount if he is in demand at The Hundred.
Over here, the draft system works in which salary bands are pre-decided by the ECB. Accordingly, players in The Hundred Men's competition draft could have earned the following amount as their tournament salaries for the 2024 season.
£125,000 (two players, plus one England Centrally Contracted Player)
£100,000 (two players)
£75,000 (two players)
£60,000 (two players)
£50,000 (two players)
£40,000 (two players)
£30,000 (three players)
Before heading to the draft, Men’s teams had a choice that they could have retained a maximum of 11 players (10 plus one centrally contracted English player) from their 2023 squad. Most of the teams made use of the retention policy.
While the Rockets retained only eight players and Spirit only nine, the Originals, Fire, and Invincibles retained 11 players each. Phoenix, Brave, and Superchargers retained 10 players each.
Enough. Can you just give me the names of the players that were drafted?
In the Hundred 2024 Men’s draft, Nicholas Pooran (Northern Superchargers), Andre Russell (London Spirit), Kieron Pollard and Rovman Powell (Southern Brave), Shimron Hetmyer (Trent Rockets), Naseem Shah (Birmingham Phoenix) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Welsh Fire) were picked for £125,000 (which equals to INR 1.35 crore) each.
Finally, what are the squads?
You can check out all eight squads here.
Where can I watch The Hundred in India?
All matches will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network and streamed on FanCode. Each matchday will be a doubleheader, with a women's and men’s game involving the same teams. The women’s game will be followed by the men’s.
The men’s Hundred matches will start at 11:00 pm Indian Standard Time (IST).
You must be wondering it would be great to have such a handy guide for The Women's Hundred as well, don't worry, stay tuned!!
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