No active discussions have taken place over a change to The Hundred playing format, but talks have occurred about expanding the number of teams amid ongoing conversations with potential investors.
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The fourth edition of the franchise tournament begins on Tuesday with its future still unresolved, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) eager to bring in private investment to secure its long-term position in the sport and to boost the finances of domestic counties.
Dialogue has taken place with Indian Premier League (IPL) owners over acquiring a stake in The Hundred's eight teams, but ECB chief executive Richard Gould played down the immediate prospect of a tweak to its format.
A report in the Guardian last weekend stated possible investors wanted the 100-ball format to revert to a Twenty20 competition, which is unable to happen until after the 2028 season when the current television rights cycle would have to be renewed.
"We've seen speculation on the format. We understand and we see in terms of the Olympics and the (Twenty20) format they are adopting, but we're not having any active discussions with regards to changing the format at this point," Gould said.
"We understand and we see the need for a potential expansion of the competition at some point going forwards. That is certainly something that has been discussed over the last five or six weeks with our stakeholders.
"We're not saying exactly how that expansion could and would happen at this point because there are a lot factors that would need to come into play on that. But, there is an ambition within the game that we would like to see the competition expand at some point."
Asked if that expansion would be allied with a broadcasting cycle, Gould confirmed: "Yeah, I think that is absolutely bang on.
"We want to make sure when we expand ... we can do it properly."
Vikram Banerjee, ECB's director of business operations, has held multiple talks with IPL owners, but also opened the door to investment from NFL chiefs.
"I've now met and spoken a number of times to all the IPL owners and WPL (Women's Premier League) owners that don't overlap and there is interest there, from what they've told me, which is fantastic and lends into a very exciting process," Banerjee said.
"I would really hope we have a level of partnerships with some IPL teams, I think that would be brilliant.
"At the same time, we've just sent out a document and video to some NFL owners that explains what cricket is and what the rules are. In terms of fan engagement, how they can build stadia experience and bring in the next generation, those guys are amazing.
"So, we can bring that blend together, which I think is what we hope to do and that can work really well."
Australian Associated Press
