What’s the Difference Between The Hundred and T20 Cricket?

Picture two different finales. In a T20 international, the bowler steams in for the last over. Six balls left, 12 runs needed, the crowd counting every delivery. Now picture The Hundred: only five balls remain, or perhaps a captain has gambled on extending a bowler to 10 straight. Ten runs required, the countdown clock ticking, fans in the stands chanting in rhythm with every ball.

The atmosphere in both formats is electric, but the rhythm feels different. T20 cricket has long been the short-format benchmark, spreading across the globe with the IPL, Big Bash, CPL and dozens of other leagues. The Hundred, England’s 100-ball format launched in 2021, set out to reimagine what short-form cricket could look like.

This article explores the difference between The Hundred and T20, from rulebook quirks to strategic consequences, audience experience, and how each format has been received.

The Basics: What T20 and The Hundred Are

T20 Cricket
Twenty20, introduced in England in 2003, revolutionised cricket by cutting the game to 20 overs (120 balls) per side. A typical match lasts around three hours, designed to slot into evening viewing schedules. Teams play with standard six-ball overs, a six-over powerplay at the start, and bowlers limited to four overs each. It quickly became the world’s most popular format, with major domestic leagues and a biennial World Cup.

The Hundred
By contrast, The Hundred strips each innings down to 100 balls. Bowlers deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls from the same end, with a change of ends every 10 deliveries. Powerplays last 25 balls, during which only two fielders can patrol the boundary. Bowlers can send down a maximum of 20 deliveries in the match. Strategic timeouts, simplified terminology (balls not overs), and double-headers with men’s and women’s teams give the tournament its distinctive shape. Matches target a runtime of about two and a half hours.

The ECB introduced The Hundred not simply as another short format but as a unique experiment, designed to simplify cricket for new audiences and differentiate English domestic cricket from the global T20 market.

Key Rule Differences That Change the Game

While both formats are short and explosive, the rulebook distinctions are significant.

Number of Balls

• T20: 120 balls per innings.

• The Hundred: 100 balls per innings.
  Those 20 fewer balls shorten matches and tighten margins, increasing the urgency of scoring.

Bowling Blocks & Limits

• T20: Overs of six balls each. Bowlers can bowl a maximum of four overs (24 balls).

• The Hundred: Bowlers bowl in blocks of five or 10 balls. Each bowler can deliver a maximum of 20 balls. This allows unique tactical choices, such as letting a bowler complete 10 consecutive deliveries to exploit momentum.

End Changes

• T20: Ends switch every over (six balls).

• The Hundred: Ends switch every 10 balls, simplifying field adjustments and saving time.

No-ball and Wide Penalties

• T20: A no-ball earns the batting side one run plus a free hit. Wides give one run with an extra ball.

• The Hundred: Each no-ball or wide costs two runs and still requires an additional delivery, raising the penalty for indiscipline.

Powerplay Rules

• T20: First six overs; two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.

• The Hundred: First 25 balls; two fielders outside the circle.

Timeouts

• T20: Some tournaments allow strategic timeouts (IPL, for example).

• The Hundred: One 90-second timeout per innings is mandatory for the fielding side, giving coaches direct input.

Tie-break Methods

• T20: A Super Over (one additional over for each team) decides the winner.

• The Hundred: Initially experimented with a “Super Five” (five-ball mini-innings), though a standard Super Over has also been used.

Terminology & Presentation

• T20 retains traditional cricket language (overs, batsmen/batters).

• The Hundred deliberately counts down balls, replacing “overs” with simpler terms and consistently using “batter.”

Match Duration

• T20: ~3 hours.

• The Hundred: ~2.5 hours, designed to mimic the length of a football match for primetime appeal.

Strategic & Tactical Impacts of the Differences

The rule changes ripple into strategy, creating subtle but important shifts between formats.

Batting Strategy
With only 100 balls, batters feel pressure to score quickly. Losing early wickets can be more costly than in T20, where teams have an extra 20 deliveries to recover. Powerplay balls are particularly valuable — 25 balls can disappear quickly if openers are cautious. Risk-taking often starts earlier, and “anchors” who absorb dot balls are less desirable.

Bowling Strategy
The option of bowling 10 consecutive balls changes how captains deploy strike bowlers. A fast bowler might be kept on to complete a decisive spell if they have momentum, or a spinner might bowl 10 balls in a row to pressure one end. With each bowler capped at 20 balls, captains must spread responsibilities more widely than in T20.

Fielding Dynamics
With fewer end changes, field placements are adjusted less frequently, saving time but requiring sharper anticipation from captains. Powerplay fielding demands aggressive containment, as one poor 25-ball phase can tilt the match.

Momentum Shifts
In T20, teams often view the last four or five overs as decisive. In The Hundred, even a five-ball burst can swing momentum dramatically. Collapses can feel steeper, and comebacks sharper, due to the compressed timeframe.

Audience, Format Goals & Experience Differences

Length and Pacing
The Hundred’s shorter length is its biggest selling point for broadcasters. A match fits comfortably into a family evening, unlike T20s that sometimes stretch beyond three hours. The countdown of “balls remaining” is easier for casual viewers to follow than overs.

Presentation and Marketing
The Hundred was packaged more like a modern entertainment product than a traditional cricket league. Music, flashy graphics, city-based franchises, and simplified rules were designed to capture audiences beyond the cricket faithful.

Gender Equity
One major innovation is the simultaneous running of men’s and women’s competitions. Double-headers ensure equal exposure and crowds, elevating women’s cricket in ways T20 leagues did not initially emphasise.

Cultural Reception
While many casual fans and newcomers welcomed The Hundred, some traditional supporters accused it of dumbing down cricket. T20 retained more heritage appeal, especially given its established international status.

Early Outcomes, Criticism & Evolution

Audience Impact
The Hundred’s inaugural season in 2021 brought promising numbers. The ECB reported that a high percentage of attendees were new to cricket. Television ratings, particularly for women’s matches, broke records.

Criticism

Despite these positives, many county supporters remained sceptical. Critics argued the ECB could have built a stronger T20 competition rather than inventing a new format. Players sometimes admitted confusion adjusting to the five-ball sets.

The Hundred has also been dogged by fresh controversy, most recently over the tournament’s branded Kookaburra balls. Players complained they swung and seamed unpredictably, leading to unusually low-scoring games.

The backlash grew loud enough that the ECB confirmed it will scrap the controversial balls for the 2025 edition, switching back to the standard white ball used in the T20 Blast.

Evolution
Reports suggest the ECB has considered aligning The Hundred more closely with T20 while retaining its branding. For now, it remains a distinct product, but the future may involve hybridisation if the novelty fades or if global cricket calendars push toward standardisation.

FAQs

Is The Hundred recognised as a T20 game statistically?

No. The Hundred is officially a separate format. Stats from these matches are not classified as T20 records.

Can a bowler bowl 10 balls in a row?

Yes. In The Hundred, bowlers can deliver either five or 10 consecutive balls. However, they cannot bowl more than 20 balls in a match.

How are wides and no-balls penalised differently?

In T20, wides and no-balls are worth one run, plus an extra ball (and a free hit for no-balls). In The Hundred, they are worth two runs, with the delivery re-bowled.

Which format is better for new fans?

The Hundred was specifically designed for new audiences, with simpler terminology and a shorter duration. T20 remains globally popular and widely understood, but it retains more traditional elements that may be harder for beginners.

Conclusion: Hundred vs T20 — Which Suits What?

The difference between The Hundred and T20 lies in more than just 20 balls. T20 preserves traditional structures — overs, six-ball rhythms, established global tournaments — while The Hundred experiments with simplicity, brevity, and fresh marketing.

Strategically, The Hundred compresses the game, amplifying the value of each ball and forcing captains into bold decisions with bowlers and batters alike. T20, meanwhile, allows more room for recovery and has proven itself as the global standard.

Rather than viewing them as rivals, it may be best to see them as serving different purposes. T20 appeals to fans who enjoy tradition blended with innovation, while The Hundred aims squarely at new demographics, families, and broadcasters.

The bigger question for the future is whether the two formats can coexist long-term in an already packed cricket calendar. For now, fans get the best of both worlds: the global familiarity of T20 and the distinctive, experimental energy of The Hundred.