The final year of The Hundred as we know it?

The Hundred is entering its fifth year but big changes are expected in 2026

Its that time of year again.

The school holidays have begun, footballs transfer window is in full flow and a month of 100-ball cricket awaits us as The Hundred returns for its fifth year from 5-31 August.

With it comes the inevitable debate about the competition, its merits, flaws and place within English cricket, pored over again.

Such discussions have gone on since the tournaments inception - long before a ball was even bowled - and it has reached the point where familiarity with the various arguments is almost comforting.

Well, dont get too comfortable because the discourse is about to change - or, more likely, just continue with a host of new elements added.

Sales of stakes in six of the eight teams to private investors have now been confirmed, while deals for Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets "remain on track".

"Were entering an exciting new phase and a seminal moment for cricket in England and Wales," says England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Thompson.

Change is coming then.

How much - and exactly what that change looks like - remains to be seen but what we do know is that until the ECBs broadcast deal with Sky finishes at the end of the 2028 season, no more teams will be added.

However, with Vikram Banerjee, managing director of The Hundred, saying in February that expanding the competition in future was a "no-brainer", additional franchises is one significant change highly likely to be considered at some stage.

The number of teams might not differ but come next year, some may have new identities.

Should the deals for stakes in Invincibles and Rockets be rubber-stamped, four Hundred sides will be at least partially influenced by Indian Premier League (IPL) owners.

The Sun Group, owner of IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, has paid just over £100m for a 100% stake in Northern Superchargers.

Indian company RPSG Group, which owns Lucknow Super Giants, has purchased 70% of Manchester Originals, while GMR Group, which owns Delhi Capitals, has bought 49% in Southern Brave.

Reliance Industries Limited, owned by the multi-billionaire Ambani family who control Mumbai Indians, is also set to purchase a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles.

The ECB has already received applications for the names of Superchargers and Originals to be changed.

Reports, external say RPSG Group plan to bring the latter in line with their teams in Lucknow and Durban by renaming them Manchester Super Giants before the 2026 season.

It would be no surprise to see Invincibles, Superchargers and Brave go the same way.

Following the templates theyve used in franchise leagues in South Africa, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, it could be a warm welcome to MI Oval, Sunrisers Northern and Southern Capitals.

Player salaries have increased for this years tournament, with the top mens players now earning up to £200,000, up by 60%, while leading womens salaries have risen 30% to £65,000.

But, with fresh investment, there is the potential for further increases to help attract the worlds best short-form players - something the mens tournament has struggled with amid competition from the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket in recent years.

Replacing the current draft system with something closer to the IPL auction might enable that, and the ECB announcing a new The Hundred Board - which will include representatives of the investors and host counties - with "delegated authority" over player salaries and the draft, opens the door to that possibility.

The ECB does still own the competition itself and have control over the regulations and length of the window in which it is played.

But if their new partners push to ditch the 100-ball format, played solely in the UK, in favour of the globally popular T20, or want six weeks rather than four following a future expansion, tough decisions - guaranteed to be unpopular with one group or another - will have to be made.

Meanwhile, ECB chief executive Richard Gould has hinted "de-coupling" some womens and mens matches will be considered.

Double-headers have been the norm since The Hundred began in 2021 and Gould says a capacity crowd for a womens game is a target within "the next couple of years".

James Anderson was picked up by Manchester Originals after an impressive T20 Blast campaign for Lancashire

With double-headers still on the agenda this year and new shareholders not taking operational control until 1 October, were set for one more summer of The Hundred as we know it.

Direct signings, brought in for the first time this year, enabled teams to secure one overseas player prior to the draft and the result is the addition of a plethora of big names.

Former Australia captains Steve Smith and Meg Lanning will get their first taste of The Hundred, with Welsh Fire and Oval Invincibles respectively.

Another Aussie, David Warner, will also debut in the competition, playing for London Spirit, where he will be skippered by New Zealand star Kane Williamson.

Defending mens champions Invincibles have bolstered their side with the addition of Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the top T20 wicket-taker of all time.

England legend James Anderson is set to experience franchise cricket for the first time at the age of 43 after earning a wildcard pick from the Originals.

And his Lancashire team-mate Rocky Flintoff, 26 years Andersons junior, has been selected by Superchargers, where his father Andrew is head coach.

Womens champions Spirit will be captained by Charlie Dean in the absence of the injured Heather Knight, with England seamer Issy Wong among their new recruits.

Elsewhere, South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt has swapped Manchester for Southampton as she joins Brave following two years at Originals.

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr replaces Wolvaardt at Old Trafford.

The expectation may be The Hundred 2.0 will provide more star quality and IPL-style glitz and glamour, but there will be no shortage of talent on display as the original prepares for its last dance.