In a significant breakthrough for English cricket, four Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners have officially been announced as strategic partners in The Hundred, England’s 100-ball competition. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the development on Wednesday, stating that the partners will take operational control of their teams from October 1, 2025.
Among the officially announced partners are leading Indian business families – GMR, Sun TV Network, RPSG Group, and Reliance Industries. The ECB says these partnerships are set to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into English cricket at both professional and grass-roots levels.
Ownership Split
RPSG Group, owners of IPL team Lucknow Super Giants, will take a 70% stake in the Manchester Originals.
Sun TV Network, the owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad, has acquired 100% stake in the Northern Superchargers.
GMR Group, the co-owners of Delhi Capitals, will have a 49% stake in Southern Brave.
Reliance Group, the owner of Mumbai Indians, will be buying a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles. The deal, however, is yet to be officially completed.
Apart from the Indian companies, other international players are also joining the ranks:
Tech Titans will have a 49% stake in London Spirit.
Knighthead Capital Management, on behalf of its investors, is acquiring a 49% stake in Birmingham Phoenix.
Washington Freedom is also investing with a 49% stake in Welsh Fire.
Two more are on the cards, with Cain International and Ares Management’s proposed investment in Trent Rockets.
Strong Investment for English Cricket
The ECB explained that upon completion of all agreements, the partnerships would be a combined valuation of over 975 million euros, with over 500 million euros anticipated to come into the English cricket environment. From this amount, 50 million euros will be reserved for grassroots development, guaranteeing sustainable growth of the sport at the community levels.
This is a landmark moment for The Hundred,” the ECB said in its release. “It is the first time that a UK sporting competition has secured franchise partnerships on this scale, attracting the expertise of global leaders in sport, media, technology, and finance.”
Governance and Future Plans
Although the operations of the team will be transferred to these investors, the ECB explained that it will remain the owner of the competition itself. This guarantees the board keeps control of key decisions such as tournament rules, fixture schedules, and overall cricketing policy.
A new governing board will also be formed, comprising representatives from the ECB, team investors, and host clubs. This body will oversee key aspects of strategy and commercial development for The Hundred.
ECB Chairman Richard Thompson praised the overwhelming global interest, saying, “The scale of engagement we’ve seen shows just how much potential remains to be unlocked in English cricket.”
The news comes after an exclusivity period at the start of this year, when shortlisted investors went into final talks. With the deals now entering the operational phase, English cricket is ready for a revolutionary period both structurally and financially.
