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England National Cricket Team opener Ben Duckett has been shocked by the low attendance of the crowd in the ongoing The Hundred 2026. He has been questioning why there has been such low attendance of the crowd from the very beginning of the franchise league. This is a concerning factor for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
There has been a sudden downfall in the total attendance, with a few thousand down as of this stage last year. The Hundred has passed the one-third stage. The crowds are not overwhelmed by the name of the franchises or even the Indian owners taking on some ownership, especially in stadiums like Headingley and the Utilita Bowl.
Ben Duckett surprised by lower attendance at the Hundred
The ECB expects ticket sales for The Hundred 2026 to finish slightly lower than the 2025 season. According to the ECB, the biggest reason for the lower attendance percentage is the major change in operations after the tournament's eight franchises were handed over from the county clubs to new owners.
The Hundred managing director Vikram Banerjee described the transition as "unprecedented" for any major sporting league in the world.
Ben Duckett was shocked by the empty seats in the stands and believes it is not expected, given the quality of the games this season in the tournament, as every team has amazing players and the battles are delightful to watch. He also believes that on weekday afternoons there will not be full-packed stadiums.
Ben Duckett said (as quoted by Cricinfo), "You look at every side, and it's just world-class opponents," he told Cricinfo. "I'm so surprised that the crowds have been what they have, because I'd be desperate to watch some of these guys play cricket. They've not been great."
"Just looking around the grounds, there must be a reason for it, so I'm not having a go at the fans or anything," he said. "I mean, this is a Wednesday at 3pm - it's probably never going to be a packed house. But yeah, the standard of cricket this year has been awesome. I've been watching every game [on TV].
The Hundred crowd has gone down
Previously, when the tournament followed an Australia or India series, the crowds have turned up in large numbers. The attendances in 2023 and 2025 were both around 580,000, compared to 500,000 in 2022 and 540,000 in 2024.
While playing for the Trent Rockets, the crowd at Trent Bridge was 11,699, which showcased a narrow win over London Spirit on Sunday night, as the Southpaw described it as "pretty awesome".
Ben Duckett reveals struggle against new ball
Ben Duckett is currently the leading run-getter in the tournament with 176 runs in 117 balls in 3 innings. He will look to finish the season on a high note. He also stated the reason why he struggled against the new ball this season, after his 43-ball half-century against the Welsh Fire.
"There's a reason why I struggled with that new ball: you've got [Marco] Jansen, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson. Sam Cook didn't even bowl in the powerplay. Everywhere you look, there's not many weaknesses at all."
