Ben Duckett has expressed surprise regarding the underwhelming attendance figures during the early stages of the current Hundred season. The Trent Rockets batter shared his observations after leading his side to a convincing nine-wicket victory over the Welsh Fire in Cardiff.
Nationwide, total attendance is currently a few thousand lower than at the same stage last year, with the tournament roughly one-third of the way through. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) projects that total ticket sales will end the season slightly lower than in 2025. According to Vikram Banerjee, the managing director of the tournament, the significant operational changes—involving the handover of franchises to counties and new owners—are considered the primary factor for the decline. This transition has been described as unprecedented in major sports leagues. Furthermore, analysts note that the tournament has historically seen stronger crowds when it follows a men's Test series against India or Australia, which typically boosts the sport's profile among casual viewers. Total attendances in 2023 and 2025 reached approximately 580,000, compared to 500,000 in 2022 and 540,000 in 2024.
Local factors have also played a role, with notable dips in attendance at the Utilita Bowl and Headingley, where new IPL owners have altered team colors and branding. At Sophia Gardens, the attendance for the Rockets' win was 7,399, which followed a record-breaking opening match for the Welsh Fire against MI London that drew 11,796 fans. Duckett noted that while he understands why a midweek 3pm fixture might not be a sell-out, he finds the overall trend difficult to reconcile with the high standard of play, particularly following the inclusion of a fourth overseas player in each starting XI.
Reflecting on his own performance, Duckett admitted he struggled for rhythm on a used pitch, noting that he had been ill for a couple of days leading up to the match. Despite the challenging conditions, he contributed an unbeaten 52, continuing a strong start to the campaign with previous scores of 49 and 75. Duckett, who has already surpassed his total run tally from his eight matches with the Birmingham Phoenix last year, praised the current quality of opposition bowling. The Rockets are now preparing to face the Super Giants in Manchester on Friday, a match Duckett believes is crucial for maintaining their momentum.
"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].
"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."
