Game-Changer for UK Cricket: ECB’s £975M Franchise Deal Powers The Hundred

Also, two more investors are going to be a part of this blockbuster deal in October.

These deals are worth more than 975 million pounds (about Rs 10,000 crore) in total, and they will invest more than 500 million pounds in English cricket.

50 million pounds of this has been kept only to promote cricket at the ground level.

What is The Hundred Mega Deal

This deal is so big that The Hundred has become the first sports league in Britain to get franchise partnerships on such a large scale. The six teams whose deals have been confirmed so far are:

• London Spirit: Tech titans took a 49% stake. It includes big names like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora.
• Birmingham Phoenix: Knighthead Capital Management bought 49% stake.
• Manchester Originals: India’s RPSG Group grabbed 70% stake.
• Northern Superchargers: Sun TV Network Limited took the entire 100% stake.
• Southern Brave: GMR Group took 49% stake.
• Welsh Fire: Washington Freedom bought 50% stake.

The remaining two deals, i.e. Oval Invincibles (Reliance Group, 49%) and Trent Rockets (Cain International and Ares Management, 49%) will be finalised in October.

What is special in The Hundred?

These investments will not only make The Hundred shine further, but will also strengthen cricket at the grassroots level in England and Wales.

The new investors include giants from the world of global business and sports, who will make this league more exciting.

ECB Chairman Richard Thompson said, “This partnership will take cricket to new heights. We will add more fans, bring world-class players and take cricket to every corner at the ground level.”

Special connection of London Spirit

Indian-origin Satyan Gajwani (Times Internet) is also included in the London Spirit deal. He said,

“The fun of cricket is double in a city like London, because there are fans from every country here. We want every fan to get a player who is close to their heart.”

These new investors will take control of their respective franchises from 1 October 2025. The ECB has made it clear that it will retain full control of the league and will also have a grip on the rules.