Could 2026 be the year when Welsh Fire deliver?

ByGareth Bailey

BBC Sport Wales

After five years of The Hundred and with no titles in either the men's or the women's competitions, is this the year Welsh Fire can dream?

Welsh Fire are one of three franchises, alongside Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix, who are yet to taste glory in The Hundred in either the men's or women's competition.

But March's player auctions have provided the chance for a fresh start for Welsh Fire, who are the worst performing franchise in the competition's history.

With large sums of money bid and some very high-profile names signed, there is cause for optimism for Welsh Fire to turn around last year's dismal display.

So what has changed this year to suggest a change in fortunes is on the horizon?

Welsh Fire spent heavily - and early - on batters in Thursday's men's auction picking up former England Test captain Joe Root (£240,000) and Jordan Cox (£300,000).

Root is second on the all-time Test run scorers list with 41 centuries to his name, behind only Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.

While the format of The Hundred is vastly different to Test match cricket, Joe Root is sure to catch the eye in the Welsh capital, where his brother Billy has played for Glamorgan since 2019.

Cox topped the batting charts with 367 runs and 22 sixes in last year's competition as Oval Invincibles finished top of the standings.

His impressive displays for the Invincibles last year earned him the title of MVP (most valuable player).

Tech billionaire Sanjay Govil spent big in the auction, having bought a 50% share of Welsh Fire for £40m during last year's sales of The Hundred franchises.

The Indian-American IT entrepreneur is hoping to emulate the success of his Major League Cricket franchise, the Washington Freedom.

For the women's team, Welsh Fire snapped up former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who commanded a fee of £210,000 - the joint highest in the auction alongside Australian wicketkeeper Beth Mooney, who joined Trent Rockets.

Devine led the White Ferns to T20 World Cup glory against South Africa in 2024, and holds the record of fastest half-century in a women's T20 international thanks to her 18-ball effort against India in 2015.

With former captain Tammy Beaumont signing for Birmingham Phoenix, there will be a new skipper for the team too.

Having joined Welsh Fire in a dual role which will see him work as women's head coach as well as helping with recruitment, Michael Klinger has had a big role in crafting the side he will lead.

Welsh Fire's women have a better track record in The Hundred than the men.

They finished third in 2023 and lost the final in 2024 having finished top of the group stage standings.

The men, meanwhile, have never progressed to the play-offs, with a fourth-place finish in 2023 the only time they finished in the top half of the standings.

With both teams finishing bottom of their respective tables last season, perhaps a full-scale rebuild was inevitable.

Only Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Kellaway return for the men, while Chris Woakes will hope for better luck with Welsh Fire this time around having signed up for 2025 only to be replaced by New Zealand's Matt Henry after suffering an injury.

As for the women, wicket-keeper Sarah Bryce is the lone survivor from last year's squad having been with the team since 2022.

All-rounder Fi Morris, a 2022 squad member, has joined for the 2026 season and is the only other player in the squad who has played for the franchise previously.

At times, Welsh Fire have struggled to endear themselves to the locals coming to watch their games.

While every franchise wants to sign the best players available, Welsh Fire's recruitment this time around suggests there was also a desire to have some local players for crowds to get behind.

They made their intentions known with the statement signing of Phil Salt, who will captain the side.

Born in Bodelwyddan and a former world number one ranked T20 batter, Salt is the competition's all-time leading run scorer with 1138 across his five seasons with Manchester Originals.

Add in the return of 22-year-old all-rounder Ben Kellaway - who is from Chepstow - and the addition of Jersey's Asa Tribe, who impressed for Glamorgan last season, the men's side seems to have a more Welsh flavour than in previous years.

The same is true for the women's team, who nabbed spinner Sophia Smale from Oval Invincbles in last week's auction.

Smale is from Newport and her older brother Will keeps wicket for Glamorgan's men.

Still only 21 years old, she won the competition in 2022 as teenager, picking up a wicket in the final.