With another season of the Hundred around, the excitement has increased, as the England Cricket Board (ECB) chairman, Richard Gould, dropped a bombshell by claiming that it would be a matter of time before the Indian players turn up for the Hundred. It’s noteworthy that apart from the Indian Premier League, the Indian players don’t take part in any franchise league, which always makes the IPL more attractive.

A report from the Guardian informed that 31% of tickets for the league have been bought by women, out of which 23% belong to the juniors, and 41% of buyers attended in family groups. In the new edition of the event, four franchises have been sold out by the IPL sides, as Richard claimed that there is no study to find out that the fans, who watched the competition, tried to stay connected.

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That’s probably a bit of work that we now need to do going forward. Just to check that when people do come in, where do they go? Because you might get some coming into Test cricket who then go to the Hundred, and Hundred into Test cricket. We haven’t done that work in any great detail.’ He reckoned.

Watch: ECB chair hopes to see Indian players turn up in the Hundred

‘It’s a great day for the game. It’s just a matter of time before the Indian players turn up for the IPL for four to five weeks in late July and early August. It will become the number one competition in the Northern Hemisphere. But at the same time, it’s a responsibility to preserve the 18 counties and value the valuation.’ Gould added during an interaction on the BBC.

'It's a great day for the game.'

ECB chair Richard Thompson on the money that counties will receive from the sales of stakes in Hundred teams.

The ECB sold stakes in all 8 franchises earlier this year, raising around £520m to be split across the game. #BBCCricket #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/aJUv9TLWa4

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 31, 2025

With the 100-ball franchise tournament getting sold to the IPL, there are indications of the event turning into the T20s going forward. There are expected to be significant changes on the horizon for the competition.

‘That’s the kind of conversation we’re starting to get into now. It would be slightly odd to bring all these great people in and then just leave it as it is.’ Vikram Banerjee, the event’s managing director, said.

After the end of the fifth Test of the five-match series against India at the Kennington Oval in South London, the focus and attention will turn to The Hundred 2025, which begins on August 05 at Lord’s between the London Spirit and Oval Invincibles. However, several players are expected to be unavailable for the beginning of the competition.

Rachin Ravindra, the left-handed opening batter of New Zealand, who will feature for Manchester Originals, is expected to miss the first four games due to his international commitment. The Chennai Super Kings’ opening batter is currently playing for the Kiwis during the two-match Test series in Zimbabwe.

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Noor Ahmed, the left-arm wrist spinner, for Manchester will also miss the last three group games and the finals due to Afghanistan’s potential series against Pakistan. The same issue will occur for the Oval Invincibles’ Rashid Khan, who will also miss the last three group-stage clashes and the final. It will be a huge blow in the spin department for both sides.

Afghanistan players to miss the Hundred 2025 finals due to national commitments

Trent Rockets’ left-arm spinner, George Linde, will not be available for the first four overs of The Hundred 2025 season. The Protea spinner has picked up 191 wickets in 203 innings at a T20 average of 26.06 and an economy rate of 7.44. With the bat, he has smashed 2370 runs in 163 innings at a strike rate of 135.50. However, he will feature for South Africa’s white-ball series in Australia.

Apart from these, Northern Superchargers’ Mitchell Santner will be away from the 100-ball competition for the first three days as he will be part of the Test series in Zimbabwe. The left-arm spin all-rounder will lead the Blackcaps during the opening Test of the series at the Queens Park Oval in Bulawayo. The left-arm pacer, Ben Dwarshuis, will be out of the last three group-stage encounters and the finals.

All the teams are expected to announce the replacements later this week. The last game in the group stage will take place at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on August 28 between Southern Brave and Welse Fire. The final will occur at Lord’s on August 31.