The 2023 season of The Hundred was the third season of The Hundred, a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men's and women's teams located in major cities across England and Wales.
Salaries for male and female competitors were frozen at 2022 levels, with men paid between £30,000 and £125,000 and women paid between £7,500 and £31,250.[1]
Prize money was £600,000, with each winning team receiving £150,000 and each runner-up £75,000. The rest of the money went as prizes to players.[2][3]
The eight teams that competed in the 2022 season returned for a third year. They are all franchises, operating separately from the existing county cricket clubs, with each representing a large area of England and Wales.
As with the previous iterations of this competition, eight city-based teams competed for the men's and women's titles over a month between 1 August and 27 August 2023.
The eight city-based teams competed over 64 matches in the group stage (32 men's, 32 women's). All of the men's and women's matches were held on the same day at the same grounds, with one ticket giving access to both contests.
Each team played four matches at home and four matches away. This included one match against every other side in the competition and then a bonus match against their nearest regional rivals.[4]
After the league stage was completed the top three teams competed in the knockout stage to decide the ultimate champions. The second and third teams met in a semi-final at The Oval in London. The winner of the semi-final then meet the team that finished top of the league in the final at Lord's.[5]
Semifinal
Final
First-placed team
Second-placed team
Winner of semi-final
Third-placed team
Squads
Women
For the first time, in 2023, a women's draft was also implemented. This was the first time such a draft had ever taken place in any major women's UK sporting event.[6]
Men's teams were allowed to retain up to ten of the previous season's men's players by negotiating new contracts directly with players until the retention window closed.[7]
A player draft then took place in May to fill the forty-two remaining squad players, with teams taking turns to sign available players in vacant salary bands. Picks were in reverse order of where a side finished in the previous season, beginning with London Spirit and ending with Southern Brave.[8]
Players who played in the 2023 Ashes series will be assessed at the end of the series, and their availability for The Hundred decided accordingly,” an ECB spokesperson said.[9]
One-hundred-ball cricket is a form of limited overs cricket, played by two teams each playing a single innings made up of 100 balls.Games last approximately two and a half hours.[13]
The format of the game is:
100 balls per innings.
A change of ends after 10 balls.
Bowlers deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls.
Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls per game.
Each bowling side gets a strategic time-out of up to two and a half minutes.
A 25-ball powerplay start for each team in which only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
Slow over-rates are penalised by one fewer fielder being permitted outside the ring for the final over.
To constitute a match, a minimum of 25 balls has to be bowled to the side batting second, unless a result has been achieved earlier.
Two points awarded for a win and one point in the event of a tie or no result.
In the knockout stages, if a match is tied, then a "Super 5" will be played, with the winner being the team which scores the most runs from a further five balls.
Broadcasting
Sky Sports showed every match in the competition live on its subscription television service, while the BBC also broadcast some matches live on free-to-air television and broadcast commentary on its radio services.
Southern Brave won by 5 wickets Lord's, London Umpires: Tom Lungley (Eng) and Sophie McLelland (Eng) Player of the match: Maia Bouchier (Southern Brave)
Southern Brave won the toss and elected to field.
The match was reduced to 85 balls per side due to rain.
Northern Superchargers won by 14 runs Headingley, Leeds Umpires: Joanne Ibbotson (Eng) and Neil Pratt (Eng) Player of the match: Phoebe Litchfield (Northern Superchargers)
Northern Superchargers won the toss and elected to bat first.
Northern Superchargers won by 4 wickets Lord's, London Umpires: Sue Redfern (Eng) and Surendiran Shanmugam (Eng) Player of the match: Phoebe Litchfield (Northern Superchargers)
Northern Superchargers won the toss and elected to field.
Points: Northern Superchargers 2, London Spirit 0.
Southern Brave won by 7 wickets Rose Bowl, Southampton Umpires: Anthony Harris (Eng) and Sophie McLelland (Eng) Player of the match: Georgia Adams (Southern Brave)
Oval Invincibles won by 3 runs The Oval, London Umpires: Anthony Harris (Eng) and Sophie McLelland (Eng) Player of the match: Nadine de Klerk (Oval Invincibles)
London Spirit won by 73 runs Edgbaston, Birmingham Umpires: Sophie McLelland (Eng) and Surendiran Shanmugam (Eng) Player of the match: Grace Harris (London Spirit)
Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and elected to field.