BCCI already owns the world’s richest cash league in IPL but that won’t stop them from venturing into new avenues. One such topic has arisen as ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) chairman Colin Graves has hinted that BCCI has enquired about ‘The Hundred’.
The Hundred is a new form of cricket tournament which was to begin in July 2020 but has been postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The idea is a brainchild of the ECB through which they expect to generate millions of revenue which would be put into grassroots cricket development in England. The competition will comprise of eight teams, and each team will have both men’s and women’s teams.
India Are Looking To Start Their Own Hundred Ball Tournament: ECB Chairman
ECB chairman Colin Graves has confirmed that many countries have shown interest in ‘The Hundred’ and the BCCI particularly have inquired about the tournament in detail and maybe looking to start their own in their country. He said that the tournament has been able to create a lot of buzz everywhere around.
“I know that some of the countries abroad, India in particular, are looking at their own,” Graves told Sky Sports.
“They have been talking to me about it for the last year on a regular basis. So around the world it has created a lot of excitement,” he stated.
“The Hundred”: An Exciting New Format
The format of the games will see each team playing a maximum of 100 balls with a change of ends after every 10 deliveries. Bowlers will deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls but are restricted to a maximum of 20 per match. There will be 25-ball powerplay in each innings during which only two fielders will be allowed outside the initial 30-yard circle.
The tournament is created to focus on “new audience” comprising mainly “women, children, families, which really had not come to cricket’, believe ECB.
The BCCI has not yet commented on their interest in the new format of the game, but their long stay to want to expand the IPL can be done by venturing in this new avenue of the sport.