Four Indian Premier League (IPL) teams and a group of international IT titans have made it to the shortlist in the contest to purchase shares in The Hundred franchises, which has now reached its conclusion. The chosen investors will make legally binding financial proposals, according to confirmation from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Whoever makes the highest bid from there will own each of the eight teams. Starting in 2026, the new franchise owners will assume leadership. The Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals, co-owned by GMR Group, are some of the IPL teams competing.
GMR Group recently purchased the bulk of Hampshire. High-profile figures, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, and Silver Lake Management CEO Egon Durban, are part of the tech consortium that Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, is heading.
The London Spirit franchise, whose home field is Lord’s, has attracted a lot of attention from the consortium. The teams located in London, Oval Invincibles and London Spirit, have naturally drawn the greatest attention. The tech consortium and the Mumbai Indians are vying for the Invincibles.
On the other hand, Lancer Capital, headed by Avram Glazer, a co-owner of Manchester United, has shown interest in both London teams. Sanjeev Goenka’s RPSG Group owns the IPL’s Lucknow Super Giants and is also vying for the Manchester Originals and London Spirit franchises.
The Manchester Originals, a club that has attracted investor interest because of the city’s vibrant sports culture and sizable youth population, have also shortlisted the Mumbai Indians. IPL teams have expressed interest in Lancashire, the county where the Originals are based, since it has apparently been willing to give new owners authority over cricket operations.
The owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Sun Group, have shortlisted three franchises: Welsh Fire, Northern Superchargers, and Trent Rockets. In the meantime, CVC Capital Partners, the IPL’s Gujarat Titans’ owner, is vying for the Birmingham Phoenix.
A number of IPL teams, like as the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, have allegedly shown disinterest in The Hundred due to worries about the league’s earnings from TV rights and business strategy. Potential investors are nevertheless wary of financial returns despite the competition, and several industry insiders have expressed apprehension over the ECB’s revenue forecasts.
With over 100 investors first expressing intent, the ECB’s intention to sell 49% of each club has generated a lot of interest. The final bidding process will decide the Hundred’s future, causing a big change in the commercial landscape of English cricket.
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