The Hundred 2025 - schedule and how to follow

Sam Billings led Oval Invincibles to defend the men's title in The Hundred last year

The fifth edition of The Hundred starts on Tuesday, 5 August, with England stars joined by a host of overseas talent.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 cricket tournament, including the schedule and how to watch and follow on the BBC.

What is The Hundred and what are the rules?

The Hundred is a white-ball cricket tournament designed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to attract more investment and diverse audiences to the game.

It was due to launch in 2020 but delayed by a year following the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are eight teams in the competition, each representing cities of the UK, rather than the traditional county structure.

Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire are the eight teams.

The men's and women's tournaments run simultaneously and each match sees both team bat for 100 balls, with the highest score winning.

Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 20 balls each, and in five or 10-ball sets.

A powerplay - a section of the innings where the fielding side are only allowed two fielders on the boundary - lasts 25 balls per innings.

Matches are designed to last for two-and-a-half hours in total, making it the fastest format of the game played in the UK and more attractive to TV broadcasters.

What is the schedule and format?

The 2025 tournament starts on Tuesday, 5 August with a London derby double header between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord's.

In the group stages, which run until 28 August, every side plays eight matches. They play six teams once but their local rival twice.

The local pairings are Phoenix and Rockets, Spirit and Invincibles, Originals and Superchargers, as well as Brave and Fire.

The top side after the group stages qualifies automatically for the final at Lord's.

The second and third-placed teams meet at The Kia Oval in the Eliminator on 30 August, with the winner going through to the following day's final.

When is The Hundred final this year?

The final takes place at Lord's on Sunday, 31 August.

The women's final will start at 14:15 BST, with the men's from 18:00.

Who are the past winners?

Charlie Dean will captain London Spirit in the absence of the injured Heather Knight as they look to defend the women's title

2021: Southern Brave (men's), Oval Invincibles (women's)

2022: Trent Rockets (men's), Oval Invincibles (women's)

2023: Oval Invincibles (men's), Southern Brave (women's)

2024: Oval Invincibles (men's), London Spirit (women's)

How can I watch The Hundred on TV and follow it on the BBC?

You will be able to follow the tournament across the BBC.

There will be ball-by-ball audio commentary on all 68 matches on BBC Sounds, with extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra.

The BBC Sport website and app will have extensive live text coverage, reports on every game and daily video highlights of the best moments.

There will also be 16 matches live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. Every game is live on Sky Sports.

There will be live text commentary and in-play video clips on the Eliminator and final.

The BBC Cricket Instagram account will also have all the best moments, plus you can keep up to date with the competition via the BBC Cricket WhatsApp channel.

The Hundred 2025 - BBC TV schedule

Times are BST and subject to change

Men's competition:

5 August: London Spirit v Oval Invincibles (18:30)

9 August: Welsh Fire v London Spirit (18:00)

12 August: Birmingham Phoenix v Oval Invincibles (18:30)

16 August: Oval Invincibles v Welsh Fire (18:00)

19 August: Trent Rockets v Manchester Originals (18:30)

23 August: London Spirit v Southern Brave (18:00)

26 August: Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals (18:30)

31 August: Final - TBC v TBC (18:00)

Women's competition:

5 August: London Spirit v Oval Invincibles (14:45)

9 August: Welsh Fire v London Spirit (14:30)

12 August: Birmingham Phoenix v Oval Invincibles (15:00)

16 August: Oval Invincibles v Welsh Fire (14:30)

19 August: Trent Rockets v Manchester Originals (15:00)

23 August: London Spirit v Southern Brave (14:30)

26 August: Northern Superchargers v Manchester Originals (15:00)

31 August: Final - TBC v TBC (14:15)