How The Hundred Draft Works: Wildcard Picks and Salary Bands Explained

Quick Answer

How Does The Hundred Draft Work?

The Hundred no longer runs a straight draft. From 2026, teams sign up to 4 players before an auction (via retention or direct signing), then buy the rest of their squad at auction. After the T20 Blast, each side adds 2 Wildcard picks. So it's a hybrid: pre-auction deals, an open auction, then a domestic wildcard round.

Key Takeaway in 60 Seconds

Money moves in tiers, not free bidding. Pre-auction signings cost teams a chunk of their salary pot upfront. The rest gets spent live. Wildcards arrive last, rewarding form shown in the Blast.

 

What Is The Hundred Draft?

Why The Hundred Uses a Player Draft

The original draft system existed to spread talent evenly across 8 new teams with no history and no fanbase loyalty to lean on. A draft stopped one club hoarding every England international. It also kept costs predictable in a competition still finding its financial feet.

How Teams Build Their Squads

Squads sit between 16 and 18 players, with 4 overseas slots allowed. Teams lock in up to 4 players early. The auction fills the middle. Wildcards fill the gaps at the end, usually 2 domestic picks per side.

 

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How The Hundred Draft Process Works

Step 1: Player Registration

Players register interest ahead of the window, listing their base price expectations and availability across the tournament dates. England centrally contracted players and overseas stars go through the same registration route.

Step 2: Salary Band Allocation

Before any signing happens, the salary pot gets fixed for each team. For 2026, that's £2.05m per men's side and £880,000 per women's side. Bands then determine what a marquee name costs versus a squad player.

Step 3: Draft Order Explained

Under the old draft model, order rotated by a lottery weighted toward lower finishers. Now, with the auction format, there's no fixed pick order. Teams bid whenever they want, whenever the player comes up.

Step 4: Team Selections

Pre-auction, sides can sign up to 2 England centrally contracted players and up to 2 overseas players, with at least 1 retention required. No "right to match" this season. Everything else gets decided at the live auction table.

Step 5: Squad Completion

Once the auction wraps, rosters still have gaps. That's where Wildcards step in during June, after the Blast finishes, filling the final 2 spots per team.

 

What Are Salary Bands in The Hundred?

How Salary Bands Are Decided

Bands come from a tiered cumulative cap, similar to the IPL. Sign 1 player before the auction and you lose £350k from your pot (men's) or £130k (women's). Sign 4 and you've locked away £950k or £360k. Each extra pre-auction pick costs proportionally more.

Highest and Lowest Salary Bands

In 2025, men's contracts ranged from £200,000 down to £31,000. Women's ranged from £65,000 to £10,000. For 2026, women's base salaries rose by roughly 50%, with several players crossing £100,000 for the first time.

Why Salary Bands Matter for Team Strategy

A big pre-auction signing eats into what you can spend live. Go all-in on 1 superstar and you might walk into the auction with a shallow pot for everyone else. That trade-off shapes every squad differently.

 

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Wildcard Picks Explained

What Is a Wildcard Pick?

A Wildcard is a domestic signing added after the main selection process, based on form in the Vitality Blast. It's a second chance, both for players and for teams who need a specific gap filled.

Who Is Eligible for a Wildcard Contract?

Only domestic players qualify. Base price sits around £31,000 for men in 2026. Someone can miss the auction entirely, smash runs all Blast season, and still end up in a Hundred squad by June.

When Are Wildcard Picks Announced?

Right after the Vitality Blast concludes, typically mid-June. Each team names 2 picks in quick succession, often within a day of each other across the competition.

Why Wildcards Can Change a Team's Season

A wildcard batter who's been smashing sixes all Blast season can walk straight into a middle order that needed exactly that. It's low cost, low risk, and occasionally the best value signing a team makes all year.

 

Draft Strategy Used by The Hundred Teams

Signing Overseas Stars

Teams usually burn 1 or 2 of their pre-auction slots on an overseas name they can build a campaign around. It locks in a marquee player before rivals get the chance.

Balancing Batters and Bowlers

Squads need enough depth in both departments to survive injuries and international call-ups mid-tournament. Smart franchises map out their top 6 batters and 5 bowlers before touching the auction paddle.

Managing the Salary Budget

With a collar (minimum spend) and a cap (maximum spend) both in play, teams can't hoard money either. Spend too little and you're under the collar. Spend on the wrong names and you're stuck.

Why Some Big Players Go Unsold

A well-known name can go unsold simply because their base price sits above what remaining teams have left. Timing matters more than reputation. (Very few articles explain this in depth.)

 

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Salary Bands vs Wildcard Picks

Key Differences

Salary bands apply to auction and pre-auction signings, with real money and real tiers attached. Wildcards operate outside that structure entirely, at a fixed, low base price, decided by form rather than bidding.

Which Gives Teams More Flexibility?

Wildcards. There's no bidding war, no pot management, just a straight pick based on who's playing well right now.

How Both Work Together

Salary bands build the core of a squad. Wildcards patch the final holes. One is financial engineering. The other is a late reward for good form.

 

How The Hundred Draft Differs From the IPL Auction

Draft vs Auction

The Hundred used to run a genuine draft, with picks assigned in order. As of 2026, it's moved to an auction model much closer to how the IPL operates, layered with pre-auction retentions.

Salary Bands vs Open Bidding

IPL auctions run on largely open bidding within a team cap. The Hundred adds tiered deductions for pre-auction signings, so teams pay a premium for locking in players early. (Excellent section for international traffic.)

Which System Is Better?

Neither is objectively better. The IPL's scale rewards open bidding chaos. The Hundred's smaller pot and 8-team structure needed more guardrails to stop runaway spending.

 

Biggest Winners and Surprises from the Latest Hundred Draft

Best Value Picks

Younger domestic talent, like 21-year-old James Coles landing £390,000 in the 2026 auction, shows teams are willing to bet big on players still building international careers.

Unexpected Omissions

Some recognizable names went unsold simply on timing and remaining budgets, not ability. It happens every year, in every league that runs an auction.

Players Who Could Be Wildcard Selections

Domestic batters and spinners in good Blast form are the usual candidates. Teams look at recent scores, not career averages, when picking wildcards.

 

 

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Common Mistakes Fans Make About The Hundred Draft

Salary Band Misconceptions

Fans often assume salary bands mean fixed prices for every player in that tier. They don't. Bands set a range and a cost structure, not a flat number.

Wildcard Pick Myths

Some assume any player can be a wildcard. Only domestic players qualify, and only after the Blast wraps up.

Draft Order Myths

People still talk about "draft order" even though the format moved to an auction in 2026. There's no fixed pick sequence anymore.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do salary bands work in The Hundred?

Teams pay tiered deductions from their salary pot for pre-auction signings, then spend what's left at the live auction.

What is a wildcard pick in The Hundred?

A domestic player signed after the Vitality Blast, based on current form, at a fixed base price.

Can overseas players be wildcard picks?

No. Wildcards are reserved strictly for domestic players.

Why do some famous players go undrafted?

Budget timing. If a team's pot runs low before a player comes up, they simply can't bid, regardless of reputation.

How is the draft order decided?

There isn't one anymore. The Hundred moved from a fixed draft order to an open auction format starting in 2026.

How is The Hundred draft different from the IPL auction?

The Hundred adds tiered salary deductions for pre-auction signings and caps squads at 16-18 players, while the IPL runs a larger pool with more open bidding.

 

Final Verdict

Why Understanding the Draft Makes Watching The Hundred More Interesting

Once you know why a team spent big early or waited for the wildcard round, squad-building starts to look like its own game inside the game. You'll watch team selection with a sharper eye.

Key Takeaways for Cricket Fans

Salary bands shape who a team can afford. Wildcards reward form, not reputation. And the 2026 shift to an auction means the old "draft order" conversation is already out of date.