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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Wednesday the signing of the agreements for the six franchises of The Hundred tournament, with deals for the Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets still to be finalized.
The 100-balls-per-side format, launched in 2021, features men’s and women’s teams.
The 100-balls-a-side format, which features men’s and women’s teams, was launched to great fanfare in 2021. It has proved controversial, with many county cricket fans angry at the way the tournament deprives their clubs of key players at the height of the season.
The investors among the six groups are the US-based Tech Titans, who have taken a 49 percent stake in London Spirit, whereas India’s RPSG Group has acquired a 70 percent stake in the Manchester Originals.
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of RPSG Group, will rename Manchester Originals to Manchester Super Giants, aligning with his Super Giants franchises in the IPL and SA20.
Additionally, Chennai-based Sun TV Network has completed the signing for the 100 percent stake in the Northern Superchargers, while the GMR Group has acquired a 49 percent stake in the Southern Brave.
Sanjay Govil, the owner of Washington Freedom, a franchise in the Major League Cricket (MLC), has acquired a 50 percent stake in the Welsh Fire.
The Birmingham Phoenix team is taken by Knighthead Capital Management LLC.
In addition to the unsigned agreement with Reliance Group for a 49% stake in Oval Invincible, Cain International and Ares Management have not yet finalized their agreement for a 49% stake in Trent Rockets.
It is noteworthy to mention that new owners will take over the franchises from October 1, 2025.
Following the deals, the ECB mentioned that it has control over key areas of franchises amid new partners’ investment.
“The new partners are investing in The Hundred teams, while the ECB retains full ownership of the competition itself, and with that, control over key areas such as regulations, the length of the window, and other matters that have a wider game-wide impact,” the media release further clarified.
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