Ownership of The Hundred, the UK cricket league so named for its unique 100-balls-a-side style of play, has complexified.
At the league’s founding, in 2021, each team’s ownership was a near-even split between the England and Wales Cricket Board (49%) and its host county (51%). On Feb. 13, however, as Sky Sports and others report, the Board held an auction, inviting bids for equity in each of the eight teams.
With all said and done, The Hundred as a whole turned out to be worth £975 million (€1.18bn). As for the proceeds, £50 million will be going towards recreational cricket and the balance split between the 18 first-class counties and the owners of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Here’s how the deals went:
- Sun TV Network Limited (owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad) acquired 100 percent of the Northern Superchargers (£100m).
- Reliance Industries Limited (owners of Mumbai Indians) acquired 49 percent of the Oval Invincibles, Surrey retaining the rest.
- GMR Group (co-owners of Delhi Capitals) acquired 49 percent of Southern Brave (about £48m).
- Knighthead Capital acquired 49 percent of Birmingham Phoenix (£40m).
- Cricket Investor Holdings Limited (Silicon Valley consortium) acquired 49 percent of London Spirit, MCC retaining the rest.
- Sanjay Govil (owner of Washington Freedom) acquired 50 percent of Welsh Fire, Glamorgan retaining the rest.
- RPSG Group (owners of Lucknow Super Giants) acquired stakes in the Manchester Originals.
- Todd Boehly (Chairman & co-owner of Chelsea FC) acquired 49 percent of the Trent Rockets.
