The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday, July 30, confirmed the sale of six The Hundred franchises, with the remaining two to be done in the coming weeks. The ECB confirmed that the privatisation deals will result in a windfall of more than £500m being pumped into English cricket as owners from various fields come together to be part of the revolution, which is the 100-ball format, in England.
"The milestone comes less than a week before the 2025 competition begins and marks a transformative moment for The Hundred and the future of cricket in England and Wales, with more than £500m of total proceeds when all deals are complete to be shared between professional counties and the grassroots game," ECB said in a statement.
Sun Group, which owns the Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20), was the only investor to own a 100 per cent stake in a franchise (Northern Superchargers). SRH head and co-owner of the franchises, Kavya Maran, was thrilled to extend the Orange Army to England and couldn't wait for what the future holds in terms of bringing the experience to a format like the Hundred.
"This team is yours, Orange Army," Maran said in a video posted by SRH's official handles. "England has always been a cricketing powerhouse so when they opened up for investment, it was an obvious choice to be a part of their cricketing legacy. We’re here to build something brave and exciting and English cricket feels like a perfect place to do it."
RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka, who owns Lucknow Super Giants (IPL) and Durban's Super Giants (SA20), has acquired a 70 per cent stake in the Old Trafford side, Manchester Originals while Sanjay Govil, the owner of Washington Freedom, has a 50 per cent stake in the Washington Freedom. The remaining five franchises will hold 51 per cent ownership of the ECB, while the investors will hold a 49 per cent stake.
GMR Group, the co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, have invested in Southern Brave for a 49 per cent stake while the Reliance Group, the owners of MI franchises across the globe, will have a minority stake (49 per cent) in the two-time men's and women's winners Oval Invincibles. Invincibles and Trent Rockets (Caine and Ares) are the two franchises whose negotiations are ongoing between the ECB and the investors.
The investors will get operational control from October 1, 2025.