Cricket usually asks fans to follow overs. The Hundred asks a simpler question: how many balls are left? Created for the English and Welsh domestic game, The Hundred gives each team up to 100 legal deliveries to build a total or chase one down. The familiar ingredients remain: batters score runs, bowlers take wickets and the higher score wins. The unusual part is how those deliveries are grouped, how captains use their bowlers and how quickly pressure builds.
Here is how The Hundred cricket rules work during an actual match, including details that can catch even experienced T20 viewers off guard.
The Hundred format at a glance
Each side normally bats once, facing a maximum of 100 legal balls. An innings can finish sooner through ten dismissals, while the chasing side stops as soon as it wins. The format uses 20 sets of five balls rather than the six-ball overs familiar from most cricket.
Bowling ends change after every ten legal deliveries. The fielding captain can keep one bowler on for ten consecutive balls or select someone new after five. No bowler can deliver more than 20 legal balls in an innings. The first 25 balls form the powerplay.
How five-ball sets and bowling changes work
The most distinctive feature of 100 ball cricket is its rhythm. Instead of six deliveries per over, there are five. You may hear a set called a five ball over, although broadcasts emphasise the running ball count.
After five legal balls, the umpire marks the end of the set. However, teams do not automatically switch ends. Two sets are completed from the same end, producing an end change after balls 10, 20, 30 and so on.
That creates a tactical choice. Suppose a fast bowler takes a wicket on ball four and looks dangerous. The captain may ask that bowler to deliver balls six through ten as well. Alternatively, a spinner could take the next five to challenge the new batter differently.
A bowler’s allocation is capped at 20 balls, equivalent to four five-ball sets. Captains must budget their best bowlers carefully rather than simply saving everyone for the finish.
What happens during The Hundred powerplay?
The Hundred powerplay lasts for the opening 25 legal balls of each innings. During this period, only two fielders may stand outside the fielding circle. That creates boundary opportunities for attacking batters but can also tempt risky shots.
After the powerplay, more fielders can patrol the boundary. Under the 2026 playing conditions, the normal maximum outside the circle is five in men’s matches and four in women’s matches. Shortened games can have adjusted powerplay limits.
Are runs, wickets and extras scored differently?
Most scoring remains familiar. A boundary along the ground is four runs, a hit clearing the boundary without bouncing is six, and batters can run between the wickets. Catches, bowled dismissals and run-outs work much as they do in T20 cricket.
Wides and no-balls do not count among the 100 legal deliveries, so an additional ball must be bowled. Both attract penalty runs. A no-ball also brings a free hit on the next delivery, restricting how the striker can be dismissed. The 2026 conditions apply the standard one-run no-ball penalty, rather than the two-run penalty used previously.
Strategic timeouts and the match clock
Each fielding team may request one strategic timeout lasting 90 seconds. It is optional and can be taken when the ball is dead, between sets or partway through one. It cannot occur during the opening 25 balls.
Over-rate requirements also apply. A fielding side that falls behind schedule can face tighter fielding restrictions, turning slow play into a tactical disadvantage. Matches are designed to last roughly two and a half hours.
How is the winner decided?
In an uninterrupted match, the chasing side wins by passing the first team’s total before its 100 legal balls are exhausted. If the chase falls short, the defending team wins. Losing all ten wickets ends an innings unless the target has already been reached.
What if both teams finish level?
A tied group-stage match remains a tie, with two competition points for each side; a win earns four. Knockout matches differ. In the Eliminator or Final, a tie normally leads to a Super Five: each team faces up to five legal balls, with two wickets ending its turn.
If the scores remain level, a second Super Five can follow. If that too is tied, group-stage finishing positions decide the finalist or champion.
What happens when rain interrupts play?
Officials can reduce the ball allocations and revise the chasing target using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. In group matches, 25 balls per side are normally needed for a result unless the outcome has already been achieved. Otherwise, the match may be declared no result and points shared.
A practical example: reading the last 15 balls
Imagine a side needs 24 runs from its final 15 balls with six wickets remaining. Three five-ball sets remain, but the captain cannot necessarily use one favourite bowler throughout: that player may have reached the 20-ball limit.
If the next set costs only four runs, the chasing team needs 20 from ten. A wide adds a run without consuming a legal ball, while one boundary changes the equation immediately. Watching the remaining balls, available bowlers and fielding positions gives a clearer picture than the required run rate alone.
How is The Hundred different from T20?
A standard T20 innings allows 120 legal balls, grouped into six-ball overs, with ends changing after each over. The Hundred uses 100, groups them into fives and changes ends after ten. A T20 bowler may deliver four six-ball overs; a Hundred bowler has a 20-ball allowance.
The shorter innings changes the calculations. Early wickets leave less recovery time, and consecutive five-ball bowling spells help captains press an advantage. Readers exploring the wider game may also appreciate guides to cricket formats explained, T20 powerplay rules and how cricket scoring works.
Frequently asked questions
How many overs are there in The Hundred?
Each full innings contains 20 five-ball sets, making 100 legal deliveries. The playing conditions describe them as five-ball overs.
Can one bowler bowl ten balls in a row?
Yes. A captain can choose the same bowler for two consecutive five-ball sets, provided that bowler remains within the 20-ball limit.
Does a wide use up one of the 100 balls?
No. Wides and no-balls are not legal deliveries, so an extra ball must be bowled and the countdown does not advance.
Is there a Super Over in The Hundred?
The knockout tiebreaker is called a Super Five. Each team bats for up to five legal balls, rather than the six used in a traditional Super Over.
Final word
The Hundred keeps cricket’s core contest intact but makes every set of five balls significant. Remember three numbers: 100 balls per innings, 25 in the powerplay and 20 maximum per bowler. Add the ten-ball change of ends, and the format becomes easy to follow.