TimesofIndia.com in London: The summer of cricket continues in England. The men played three Tests against New Zealand and five T20Is and three ODIs against India. For women, there was the T20 World Cup and one Test between India and England. And now it’s time for The Hundred, which started on July 21.The Hundred, a unique tournament featuring 100 innings of football, is back with its sixth edition. Much has changed, but not much has changed. It still has eight teams, consists of 100 ball innings where players can bowl five or 10 balls in a row, and still aims to speed up the game and have two headers – men’s and women’s – on the same day.On the opening day, men’s defending champions MI London took on Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. In the first match of the day, Sunrisers beat MI London by 7 wickets in the women’s competition. A day later, in Southampton, the Southern Brave ladies got the better of the Welsh Fire. And the men’s match later in the day had the opposite effect.What has changed is ownership, team names, and equipment designs. After an increase of £520 million in The Hundred, the Ambani family bought Oval Invincibles (now called MI London), Sun Group bought Northern Superchargers (now SunRisers Leeds), and RPSG Group bought Manchester Originals (now Manchester Super Giants). GMR Group, the owners of Delhi Capitals, will take a 49% stake in Southern Brave.On the opening day of the season at The Oval, the mood was as relaxed as can be expected at this time of year. The sun was out, and it was a pleasant day, far from the heat this country had seen in the past few months. Despite it being a weekday, families were in abundance, making the most of the many entrances that take you into the Kennington cricket ground.A place that has seen three consecutive Test defeats to the hosts. It was here a month ago that New Zealand bowled out England by 253 runs. And it was here almost a year ago that Mohammed Siraj bowled with great fire to help India win the series by just 6 runs.But now, on Tuesday, The Hundred started, and the buzz was synonymous with cricket, family and fun. A father, holding the hands of his two children, went around seeking the help of a steward to find “a share of the family.” Unlike international cricket, where tickets sell for £100 or more, The Hundred hopes to bring in big crowds and good prices.With children two and under going free, tickets for 3-15 year olds cost £5, and adult tickets start at £14. Thus, the entire small family can watch two consecutive cricket matches, lasting about five hours or more, for $30-40.In order to relax after a long day of work, many food carts, shops and drink stalls helped. From Middle Eastern to fast food to Indian, everything was catered to suit the needs of consumers. To slow down, drink soft drinks, beer, cocktails and other soft drinks. Most importantly, perhaps, ice cream in different flavors and styles is what young people are asking for.The seasonal difference between the Indian Premier League, cricket’s mature league, and The Hundred, still finding its feet, is huge. Now that there are IPL franchises and Indian conglomerates in The Hundred, his approach is progressive, heavily supported by a family oriented approach.
