(Cricket news) The Hundred’s defending champions will be the first men’s and women’s teams to make a return as the competition begins this summer.

Inaugural men’s winners Southern Brave will play Welsh Fire at Ageas Bowl on Wednesday 3rd of August for the first match. On the same day, the men’s London derby between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit, before Manchester Originals play Northern Superchargers on August 5 and then Trent Rockets clashing against Birmingham Phoenix on August 6.

Birmingham Phoenix will play Southern Brave at Edgbaston in a repeat of last year’s men’s final on August 10. The Hundred will be a key part of an exciting summer for the women’s game, with women’s cricket making its debut at the Commonwealth Games As a result, The Hundred women’s competition will get underway after the conclusion of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, on Thursday August 11.

The first match will be the Defending women’s champions Oval Invincibles versus Northern Superchargers. The women’s teams will take the evening slot at The Kia Oval, after the men play mid-afternoon. From then on, every matchday will see women’s and men’s teams playing at the same venue on the same day, the double header format proved a hit last year, with a record-breaking 267,000 people attending the women’s matches across the competition.

Last year’s women’s finalists will meet for the first time on August 14 with Southern Brave taking on Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval. Due to the late start of the women’s competition, for this summer only, the women’s group stage will consist of six matches per team, with the men’s teams playing eight.

The group stages will get over by August 31st before the second and third placed men’s and women’s teams face each other at the Ageas Bowl in The Hundred Eliminator on Friday 2 September. The winners will face the top ranked men’s and women’s team in The Hundred Final on September 3rd at Lord’s.

Tickets will be valued at £5 for under 16s and free for children aged five and under. There will be even more activities around the ground for  the families alongside the world class cricket on the pitch. And ticket buyers will be able to choose their own seats this year with family-friendly zones in every venue.

Fans will be able to get their tickets in two priority windows, firstly for 2021 ticket holders and members in late February and a second window on 31 March for anyone who has signed up through thehundred.com. Tickets will then go on general sale on 20 April.

Games can be watched live on Sky Sports and BBC throughout the competition after more than 16m tuned in to watch The Hundred on TV alone in 2021.

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director for The Hundred said, “The Hundred helped grow the game last year. With more than 500,000 tickets sold and issued and 16 million watching on TV – with half of them being new to cricket – we saw a new audience enjoying the game for the first time. We can’t wait to build on that this year, bringing world class cricket and an incredible family day out to fans across England and Wales.”

Alice Capsey, who starred for women's winners Oval Invincibles in 2021, said, “Last year was such an exciting year for the women’s game. Playing in the opening match of the competition and winning the first-ever Final of The Hundred are moments that I will never forget. I still remember seeing all the fans at the Oval for the first game, there were so many young girls, it was so special. I’m sure the second year of the women’s competition is going to be even more exciting. Everyone involved will be desperate to get going again and hopefully we can bring even more fans to the game.”

Tymal Mills, a winner with Southern Brave last year, added, “The team can’t wait to get going again to try to defend our title this summer. The support we received last year at the Ageas Bowl was incredible and it’s really special that the second year of The Hundred will start there on 3 August. I hope there's a full house cheering the team on and the fans get a real show.”

The inaugural edition of The Hundred saw 510,000 tickets sold and issued as the competition welcomed new and existing fans. Grounds across the country posted sell-outs and 19% of all tickets sold were for under 16s. 55% of ticket buyers for The Hundred were buying a ticket for the first time to watch cricket in this country while attendances across the competition were the highest for a women’s cricket event globally ever.

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