Betting Firm Logos Set to Appear on 2026 Hundred Team Shirts

by Roy Brindley 13.07.2026

The ECB has made a policy U-turn as betting company logos are now allowed to appear on 2026 The Hundred team shirts.

The Oval Invincibles (now called MI London) won 2025 The Hundred final at Lord’s Cricket Ground. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• Some 2026 The Hundred team shirts will feature betting site logos.
• News represents a policy U-turn by the ECB, which will introduce a 2027 ban.
• The 2026 The Hundred competition will begin on July 21.
• Manchester Super Giants is giving away shirts for free at Old Trafford.

The Hundred, the professional 100-ball cricket competition introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2021 – to attract new audiences with shorter, faster-paced matches and a simpler format than traditional cricket – is about to make a policy U-turn by allowing front-of-shirt logo sponsorship from betting companies.

The Hundred features both men’s and women’s competitions, with eight city-based teams competing over approximately five weeks each summer. This year, the competition, featuring 34 men’s and 34 women’s matches, will begin on July 21 and conclude on August 16.

The 2026 season is the first in which teams will operate through partnerships between the host counties and private investors. Those stakeholders include a mix of Indian Premier League (IPL) owners, American private equity firms, and tech entrepreneurs.

Hundred Teams Sell for Mega Money

Teams have been acquired for big money. For example, a consortium of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs, including executives from Google and Microsoft, bought a 49% stake in London Spirit for £145 million. £60 million was paid for a 49% stake in the Oval Invincibles by the owners of the Mumbai Indians.

Manchester Super Giants was also valued at £100 million-plus when RPSG Group (owners of IPL team, the Lucknow Super Giants) paid £81 million for a 70% stake in the team. Sun TV Network (the owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad) purchased the Northern Superchargers for £100m.

All other teams – Birmingham Phoenix, Welsh Fire, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets – garnered a £80 million-plus valuation after their partial sale. However, attracting shirt sponsorships has been a far more difficult task.

The Hundred 2026 – schedule and how to follow https://t.co/UiGwV5uioR

— All Things Cricket (@Cricket_Things) July 9, 2026

Three Betting Firms Needed to Replace Snacks Brand

Every year since the competition’s 2021 inception, team shirts have been sponsored by KP Snacks, with each of the eight teams representing a different snack brand – such as the company’s McCoy’s, Hula Hoops and Skips.

With the shift to private franchise ownership, teams can now secure their own front-of-shirt sponsors. However, with the new season just days away, three teams have failed to find new backers. As a result, the ECB has changed its policy and given the green light for gambling/betting sponsor logos on shirts for 2026.

At a time when betting sponsorships are being phased out in many sports, and given that the ECB has always promoted The Hundred as a family-friendly competition, the decision to open the doors to gambling companies at the 11th hour must place a degree of embarrassment on ECB executives.

Betting OK Today but Banned for 2027

While explaining this year’s relaxation is a consequence of this being a transitional season under the tournament’s new ownership structure, the organisation has been quick to point out that an outright ban on gambling sponsorship in the competition will be introduced in 2027.

For the coming season, it is unclear which teams will resort to taking betting brand shirt sponsorship; only a few have divulged details of their backers. UK-headquartered bet365, which operates in more than 100 countries, would be an obvious candidate for a sponsorship deal.

Despite not accepting customers from India, where The Hundred is immensely popular, the Manchester-based Betfred could also be considered as a candidate. For them, a tie-in with the Manchester Super Giants would appear a perfect fit.

In true Tour de France style, the Old Trafford-based Manchester Super Giants (formerly called the Manchester Originals) have recently announced that every fan attending a Hundred home match will receive a free Manchester Super Giants shirt to wear on the day.