Harry Brook is expected to earn close to £500,000 for playing in The Hundred next year, as the tournament’s new investors rush to secure direct signings and retention ahead of the auctions in March.
Brook, who is presently on England’s mid-Ashes break after losing by eight wickets to Australia at the Gabba, has captained the Northern Superchargers for the past two seasons. He has now agreed to stay with the team, rebranded as Sunrisers Leeds, on a contract worth roughly £470,000, potentially making him the highest-paid player in the competition.
Brook is serving a two-year IPL ban after withdrawing from a deal with the Delhi Capitals. Last year, after being named England’s white-ball captain, he stated that foreign franchise cricket will take a back place. However, new investment in The Hundred ensures that he still receives a sizable salary in addition to his England central contract.
For the first five seasons of the event, all eight hundred teams were operated centrally. However, control has now transferred to host countries and private investors, who will operate both sides as joint ventures. The Sunrisers are the sole exception, having acquired Yorkshire’s whole 51% ownership earlier this year.
The competition’s recruitment method has also shifted from a draft to an auction system. Under the new rules, teams can pre-sign only four players, with the following constraints to ensure competitive balance: at least one must be a last-season retention, no more than two can be abroad players, and no more than two can have recent England central contracts.
The retention window opened on November 27, and teams moved rapidly to lock in their preferred players. The ECB has established fixed salary-cap deductions based on the number of pre-signings, although teams have flexibility in distributing their remaining cash.
Brook’s huge new deal reflects the increase in pay on offer in The Hundred. The top male wage band is up from £125,000 in 2024 to £200,000 in 2025 and the female maximum has increased from £50,000 to £65,000.
Fellow Sussex cricketer Phil Salt should also enjoy a massive pay rise after Welsh Fire bought him for around £450,000 — edging out London Spirit and Manchester Super Giants. Salt, a native of North Wales, had been something of a target for the franchise for some time.
Major Squad Moves and Coaching Shifts Ahead of The Hundred Auctions
According to ESPNcricinfo, Sunrisers Leeds has also signed Brydon Carse and Mitchell Marsh, and they may recruit another overseas fast bowler before the auction. They will be coached by Daniel Vettori after Andrew Flintoff left due to a low contract offer from the new owners.
Welsh Fire is utilizing its affiliation with Washington Freedom, which is co-owned by Sanjay Govil. They are interested in Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra, in addition to Salt. Mike Hussey will remain as head coach, with Michael Klinger as general manager and women’s coach.
Jos Buttler, Noor Ahmad, and Heinrich Klaasen are anticipated to remain with the Manchester Super Giants, with Tom Moody directing cricket operations globally and Justin Langer taking over as head coach from Simon Katich. Trent Rockets have sought Joe Root and Ben Duckett, while Birmingham Phoenix are looking to sign Rehan Ahmed and Donovan Ferreira, as well as extend Jacob Bethell’s contract under new coach Shane Bond.
MI London plans to retain Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Rashid Khan, and might be interested in signing Nicholas Pooran or Trent Boult. London Spirit have recruited Liam Livingstone and Jamie Overton, are searching out Adam Zampa, and employed Dinesh Karthik as batting coach and mentor.
Jofra Archer is believed to have taken up a well-paid new deal with Southern Brave, who are now owned by the GMR Group. They will also draft in Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Tristan Stubbs with Hemang Badani set to become head coach.
Marizanne Kapp is set to move to the London Spirit having spent five seasons at Oval Invincibles, while Meg Lanning will be Manchester Super Giants-bound with Matthew Mott taking charge as head coach. Lauren Bell has signed a lucrative deal to remain with Southern Brave and Welsh Fire are set to land Freya Kemp for a six-figure sum. Reigning champions Sunrisers Leeds are likely to retain Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland.
Both men’s and women’s sides will have to confirm their retention by January 16 prior to the first auctions in March. The Hundred is scheduled to take place from July 21 until August 16, in the block that sits between England’s home series’ against India (five T20Is, three ODIs) and Pakistan (three Tests).
