Matthew Potts of Sunrisers Leeds reacts after MI London wins the Hundred men’s match between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds at The Kia Oval on July 21, 2026 in London, England.

TimesofIndia.com in London: Cricket summer continues in England. The men played three Tests against New Zealand and five T20Is and three ODIs against India. As far as the women were concerned, it was the T20 World Cup and the one-off Test between India and England. And now, it’s the turn of The Hundred, which started on July 21.The unique 100-ball innings tournament The Hundred is back with its sixth edition. A lot has changed, yet a lot has not changed. It still has eight teams, still features 100-ball innings where bowlers can bowl consecutive spells of five or 10 balls, and it still aims to speed up the game and feature double headers – men’s and women’s – on the same day.On the first day, defending men’s champions MI London defeated Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. In the first game of the day, Sunrisers defeated MI London by 7 wickets in the women’s competition. A day later, in Southampton, Southern Brave Women won by a narrow margin over Welsh Fire. And later in the day the result of the men’s match was reversed.What has changed is the ownership, team names and kit designs. Following a £520 million influx into The Hundred, the Ambani family acquired the Oval Invincibles (now renamed MI London), the Sun Group bought Northern Superchargers (now Sunrisers Leeds), and the RPSG Group bought Manchester Originals (now Manchester Super Giants). Delhi Capitals co-owner GMR Group has picked up a 49% stake in Southern Brave.On the opening day of the season at the Oval, the mood was as relaxed as could be expected at this time of year. The sun was out, and it was a pleasant day, far from the scorching heat that this country had seen in the past few months. Even though it was a weekday, families were out in droves, allowing you to make the most of the many entry points to this cricket stadium in Kennington.A venue which has seen the hosts suffer three consecutive Test defeats. Exactly a month ago, it was here that New Zealand had defeated England by 253 runs. And about a year ago, it was here that Mohammad Siraj bowled brilliantly and helped India win the series by just 6 runs.But now, on Tuesday, The Hundred begins, and the discussion was equally about cricket, family and entertainment. A father walked around holding the hands of his two children and asked a manager for assistance in finding the “family section.” Unlike international cricket, where tickets sell for £100 or more, The Hundred hopes to attract the masses with reasonable prices.Tickets for children under two are free, tickets for children aged 3-15 cost £5, and tickets for adults start at £14. So, an entire young family can watch two consecutive cricket matches of about five hours or more for £30-40.To unwind after a long day at work, numerous food carts, kiosks and beverage stalls came to the rescue. From Middle Eastern to fast food to Indian, everything was available to suit the customers’ tastes. To mitigate this there are soft drinks, beer, cocktails and a range of other non-alcoholic beverages. Most importantly, perhaps, ice creams in different flavors and styles are what the youth ask for.There is a huge difference in the quality of the atmosphere between the Indian Premier League, a mature cricket league, and The Hundred, which is still finding its feet. Now that The Hundred has been invested in by IPL franchises and Indian conglomerates, the way forward is only way forward, helped largely by a family-oriented approach.