Guide to The Hundred 2021 Season – Rules, Team Analysis, Odds, and More

The inaugural season of The Hundred is set to get underway in just over two months, with eight franchises competing in the brand-new 100-ball cricket tournament.

Following a year-long delay due to the pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will finally unveil the modern format of the game on July 22, with Oval Invincibles facing Manchester Originals in the curtain-raiser.

But what exactly is The Hundred? How will the tournament work? And what do we already know about the teams and players?

Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered.

In this preview for the 2021 season of The Hundred, I tell you everything you need to know about cricket’s newest competition.

I explain The Hundred format, analyze the teams and players, look at the betting odds for The Hundred 2021 season, and much more.

Essentially, The Hundred was created to reach a wider audience.

Over the years, the popularity of cricket in Britain – especially the Test game – has arguably dwindled. The ECB is hoping the shorter format will attract more diverse crowds and reignite interest in the sport.

Here are the main rules and regulations of The Hundred.

The original draft for the inaugural season of The Hundred took place back in October 2019. Since then, several changes have been made, with different players entering and leaving the competition.

In February 2021, the final draft was completed and all the squads were finalized.

Each squad is made up of 15 players, with a maximum of three overseas players allowed in every team. Each side also has at least one England Test player, along with two “Local Icons”.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams for The Hundred 2021.

The Birmingham Phoenix squad is packed with homegrown talent.

Captained by Moeen Ali and headlined by Chris Woakes, the Phoenix also boast guys like Dom Sibley and Liam Livingstone, who have both represented England in various formats of the game.

Kane Williamson – the world’s number-one ranked Test batsman – should prove to be an excellent acquisition, while Aussie spinner Adam Zampa and Pakistani paceman Shaheen Afridi complete the overseas picks.

Here is the 2021 Birmingham Phoenix squad in full.

Australian legend Shane Warne will lead London Spirit into the maiden season of The Hundred, while compatriot Glenn Maxwell looks set to bring big-hitting firepower to the side.

The London franchise has several England internationals on board, both past and present, with Eoin Morgan, Joe Denly, Ravi Bopara, and Mark Wood adding a heap of experience to the squad.

If everything clicks for the Spirit, they could easily challenge for the title.

The Originals appear to have chosen their overseas players very wisely, covering every base. Nicholas Pooran is dynamite with the ball, Shadab Khan is a solid all-rounder, while Kagiso Rabada is a lethal quick.

On top of that, Jos Buttler is arguably one of the most devastating white-ball batsmen on the planet – and he’s a top wicketkeeper, too.

You can get a full look at the 2021 Manchester Originals squad below.

Rabada clinched the Purple Cap in the Indian Premier League last year, finishing the campaign with 30 wickets. You can check out all the 2020 IPL stat leaders in the post below.

Stat Leaders from the 2020 Indian Premier League Season

When it comes to the Indian Premier League, I love looking back at the player stats at the end of each season. We all know that the Orange Cap is awarded to the top run-scorer, while the leading wicket-taker wins the Purple Cap. But when you delve a little...

Read More

Personally, I can’t wait to watch the Superchargers in action.

In Aaron Finch and Chris Lynn, the Yorkshire franchise boasts a pair of destructive Aussie batsmen, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman – the team’s third overseas player – is an exciting young spinner from Afghanistan.

The headline act is undoubtedly Ben Stokes, though. The imperious all-rounder will line up alongside fellow England internationals such as David Willey, Adil Rashid, and Olly Stone.

The Invincibles should be an extremely competitive team, especially if the Curran brothers can find their best form.

With Jason Roy and Rory Burns at the top of the order, the Oval-based outfit has the potential to score quick runs. Guys like Sam Billings, Colin Ingram, and Sunil Narine can also pile runs on the board at a rapid rate.

If the bowling attack can match the star-studded batting line-up, the Invincibles will surely challenge for the trophy.

Here is the 2021 Oval Invincibles squad.

At first glance, the Southern Brave squad looks strong in every department.

James Vince and David Warner look set to forge a formidable partnership at the top of the order, while the prospect of Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan steaming in back-to-back is hugely exciting.

Better still, the Southampton franchise possess two genuinely world-class all-rounders – Andre Russell and Marcus Stoinis.

In Rashid Khan, the Rockets have a true champion of franchise cricket in their ranks. The iconic leg-spinner has starred for Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Adelaide Strikers (BBL) in recent years and is destined to light up The Hundred in 2021.

Khan will be joined by Australia duo Nathan Coulter-Nile and D’Arcy Short, as well as England heroes such as Joe Root and Dawid Malan.

If Alex Hales can pick up where he left off for Sydney Thunder in BBL 10, he will almost certainly find himself among the top run-scorers in the competition.

Let’s not forget that Hales won the BBL 10 Golden Bat earlier in the year.

Stat Leaders from the 2020/21 Big Bash League Season

With the 2020/21 Big Bash League behind us, now feels like a good time to take a look at the stat leaders from BBL 10. The Sydney Sixers clinched the title, but it was Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder) who won the Golden Bat. On the flip side, Jyhe Richardson...

Read More

Here is the inaugural Trent Rockets squad in full.

On paper, the Welsh franchise probably looks like the weakest squad in the competition. That said, the Fire still have plenty of big-name stars to choose from.

Kieron Pollard recently became just the third international cricketer to hit 6 sixes in a single over, so he needs no introduction.

Homegrown heroes like Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett add vast experience to the group, while Jhye Richardson has gained a reputation as one of the world’s best white-ball speedsters.

Of course, it is difficult to predict how each team will fare at this stage. However, that hasn’t stopped the best online sports betting sites from releasing their odds for the winner of The Hundred in 2021.

The Hundred 2021 winner odds below are courtesy of Betway’s sportsbook.

Ben Stokes’ Superchargers are the bookmakers’ current favorites to win The Hundred in 2021, with the two London franchises following close behind.

As you can see, the bookies can barely separate the other five teams at the moment, although the Fire are viewed as the outsiders for now.

Given that all eight squads are packed with world-class stars, the tournament is set to be fiercely contested.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for The Hundred to get underway.

Not all cricket purists around the world have taken kindly to the new tournament, with many believing that the shorter format will hamper the Test game even more.

But in my eyes, The Hundred seems like a great way to get more people interested in cricket – and that can only be a good thing for the sport.

If you’re looking for more content like this, make sure you check out our cricket blog.

Not only do we cover several worldwide tournaments, including the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash League, but we also provide regular updates on other cricketing topics.