The Hundred is set to make an important change to its overseas player rules for the 2027 season. Teams will be allowed to keep a fifth overseas player in their squads, giving them extra cover during the tournament. The additional player can help if a player is injured, called up for international duty or loses form. The decision comes after several teams faced overseas availability problems during the 2026 season and had to find short-term replacements.
The rule was different in 2026, when franchises could have four overseas players in their squads and playing XIs. This was an increase from three in previous seasons, and the ECB believed it helped raise the quality of the competition significantly, especially in the men’s Hundred. However, some teams still had only three overseas players available for certain matches because of availability issues or poor performances. From 2027, franchises will have the option of adding a fifth overseas player to their squad.
One example from the 2026 season came when Josh Philippe joined MI London on a one-match deal. The move happened while Sherfane Rutherford was away with his national team at the start of the season. Such short-term deals can help teams fill an immediate gap, but they also require franchises to find another suitable player quickly. With a fifth overseas player already in the squad, teams should have more cover available when similar situations happen during the Hundred.
The change is also linked to the wider restructuring of the Hundred before the 2026 season. The competition moved towards a private investment model, while men’s and women’s teams could make a maximum of four pre-signings before the spring mega-auction. Squads are now expected to be more consistent for the next two seasons. Players were signed under a ‘1+1+1’ contract model, similar to the IPL, giving teams the option to retain players for longer and build more settled squads.
Under this system, teams can retain a maximum of 16 players from their 2026 squads for the next two seasons on the same salary. Players signed at the auction will also be eligible for retention. Replacement players can qualify as well if they played two or more matches. These rules give franchises more stability after the major squad changes made before 2026. The fifth overseas place will add further cover without changing the main structure of the competition.
Vikram Banerjee, the Hundred’s managing director, said the competition had improved after the arrival of new investment. Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, he said the quality of cricket “went up a massive level” in 2026. Banerjee also said, “In my humble opinion, I think we have now set ourselves apart from the chasing pack, with the IPL being out there (in front) and the WPL on the women’s side,” Banerjee said. His comments show the confidence around the Hundred after the changes made to the competition.
The financial structure is expected to stay close to its current level in 2027. Squad salary caps are expected to remain around £2.05 million for men’s teams and £880,000 for women’s teams, although they could increase slightly. The fifth overseas player will give franchises more depth without requiring a major change to the salary system. Teams will have another option available while keeping their wider financial plans broadly similar for the new season.
The 2027 Hundred is scheduled to take place from August 3 to 29, immediately after the fifth men’s Ashes Test at The Oval. The Test is scheduled to finish on August 2, and the ECB hopes the close timing will help ticket sales. Overseas player availability will not become fully clear until the next Future Tours Programme is finalised later this year. Code Sports has reported that the final week is likely to clash with an Australia-New Zealand ODI series in the Northern Territory.
Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chair, said the new owners were “very happy” with the Hundred’s 2026 season. He described the impact on the English schedule as “a price worth paying” because of the financial windfall the competition has provided to counties. Many clubs have been able to wipe out or significantly reduce their debts. The fifth overseas squad place should now give teams another way to manage international commitments and prepare better for the 2027 season.
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