Harry Brook is on the brink of a £470,000 contract with the re-branded Sunrisers Leeds, the clearest sign yet of how fresh investment is reshaping the Hundred’s pay-scale. If the paperwork goes through before March’s auction, the England batter will become the competition’s highest-paid player next summer.
“Overseas franchise cricket would have to take ‘a step back’,” Brook remarked when he accepted the national white-ball captaincy last year. A two-year IPL ban – imposed after he withdrew from a Delhi Capitals deal – appeared to reinforce that stance. Now, private capital in the Hundred means Brook can remain close to home and still bank a sizeable fee on top of his England central contract.
How the money has changed
For the first five seasons, the eight teams were effectively ECB departments. Control has since shifted to joint ventures between host counties and outside investors, with Sunrisers the lone exception after buying Yorkshire’s full 51 per cent share. Top salaries have almost quadrupled in two years: the men’s ceiling has climbed from £125,000 (2024) to £200,000 (2025). Women’s pay has also inched up, from £50,000 to £65,000.
“The commercial model is finally catching up with the players’ market value,” an ECB official told NewsBrook. “We’re keen to let individual franchises innovate, without turning the tournament into an arm-wrestle of chequebooks.”
Retentions, not drafts
The competition has ditched its draft in favour of an IPL-style auction. Each side may pre-sign only four players – a rule designed to keep the field level. One must be a hold-over from last year, no more than two may be overseas, and only two may have England central contracts for 2024-26. Salary-cap deductions for each retention are fixed, but the split between those four players is up to the franchise.
“Getting your marquee business done early removes a lot of stress,” Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori said. “Our priority was securing Brook; everything else falls into place once your captain is nailed down.”
Salt heads home to Wales
Phil Salt is next in line for a bumper deal, worth roughly £450,000 at Welsh Fire. The wicketkeeper-batter, born in North Wales, has spent the past four seasons with Manchester Originals, captaining them in the last two. Fire faced competition from London Spirit and Manchester Super Giants but, according to one senior official, “Salt wanted to represent the region where he grew up.”
Numbers, names and future targets
• Brydon Carse and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh have agreed terms with Sunrisers.
• The Leeds outfit are eyeing one more overseas quick before the auction.
• Fire, part-owned by US businessman Sanjay Govil, are leaning on sister club Washington Freedom for recruitment tips, with Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra both on their radar.
• Mike Hussey remains Fire’s coach; Michael Klinger arrives as general manager.
• Andrew Flintoff stepped away from Sunrisers after what insiders describe as a “low-ball” contract offer.
What it all means
Higher salaries will grab headlines, yet squad depth could prove decisive. “You still only get 100 balls,” analyst Isa Guha quipped, “and the best-paid player can only face or bowl so many of them.” Balancing a bank-breaking top order with reliable support acts may be the puzzle that defines this new era.
For now, though, the headline is simple: money is flowing, and players such as Brook and Salt are its first major beneficiaries. Whether the windfall brings stronger teams or simply bigger cheques will become clear when the tournament returns next August.
