All eight franchises in The Hundred have signed primary sponsors from non-gambling sectors ahead of the 2026 season. The move marks a major change after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) faced criticism for allowing betting companies to sponsor teams for one season during the transition period.
Following the sale of franchise stakes to new investors, including IPL team owners and private groups, teams were allowed to negotiate their own sponsorship deals. Despite concerns about the sponsorship market, every franchise has now secured a main sponsor from outside the gambling industry.
ECB welcomes family-friendly sponsorship model for The Hundred
The Hundred’s managing director, Vikram Banerjee, said the tournament wanted to create a family-friendly image by moving away from betting sponsors.
“From next year, it’ll be banned. You have to acknowledge that gambling and the betting industry is a massive part of sports sponsorship… [But] there’s be no visible betting sponsorships from next year, which is a powerful stand and stronger than any other cricket league,” said Vikram Banerjee as quoted by Cricinfo.
He also explained why betting sponsorships were temporarily allowed during the transition.
“We – myself and the ECB – are very aware of the family audience and what we’re trying to do as a brand. Our position was to see if we can get it banned for this year. We had a good discussion and the [Hundred] board agreed, in my parts, that it’s an opportunity for us to take a stand that is stronger than any other sport in the world,” he added.
Cricket Australia has already banned betting companies from sponsoring Big Bash League teams. The Indian Premier League also operates in a market where gambling is largely prohibited.
When The Hundred 2026 kits were launched on June 1, only three franchises had front-of-shirt sponsors. The remaining five teams have now completed deals with companies from different non-gambling industries.
“We felt as a board that this year – with all the operational change that’s going on, all the transition that’s happening, plus, frankly, quite a challenging market with the Premier League going through changes and all the rest of it – [that] just a one-year transition period was helpful for some of the teams to see them through this year,” Banerjee said.
“It has been a collaborative effort from teams and partners and ourselves to see if we can get other options through,” Banerjee said. “It has ended up working well… We’ve found a decent, sensible and pragmatic approach for this year,” he added.
