Rugby needs its Premier League to step up and take control, Raine says Sport Business Merchant bank Raine Group has warned that professional rugby is not big enough for “five or six leagues” and that it is “time for someone to put the hammer down” and become the sport’s equivalent to the Premier League. Rugby union has been going through a crisis of late, with different leagues using different structures [...]
Two T20 franchises to merge as external investment nears Sport Business The two Australian Big Bash franchises based in Melbourne are to merge as private equity interest in the T20 league intensifies. The eight Big Bash teams are ripe for overseas picking amid a global interest in cricket driven by the United States and India, though not all Australian states voted in favour of selling up [...]
T20 leagues should be ranked into tiers, MLC’s San Francisco Unicorns chief says Sport Business Global T20 leagues should be ranked in tiers to ringfence the best competitions and players, according to the chief of Major League Cricket club the San Francisco Unicorns. David White – whose Unicorns team shares investors with Hundred team London Spirit – says world governing body the ICC will be forced to adjust the cricket [...]
Welsh Fire Hundred owner still in mix for $1.7bn Rajasthan Royals IPL team March 23, 2026 The co-owner of The Hundred team Welsh Fire remains in the hunt for Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals despite a rejected $1.7bn bid, City AM understands. The Royals, who won the first season of the Indian Twenty20 competition in 2008, are one of two high-profile IPL teams currently up for sale. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, [...]
Analysis: Could £1bn IPL RCB cricket windfall begin Diageo’s comeback? March 20, 2026 It’s been a tough few months for Diageo – and a tough few years for Diageo shareholders. The London-listed drinks giant has seen its share price melt away amid a slump in demand for premium spirits, rising production costs and a flurry of tariffs from across the pond. The stock is already down by an [...]
Sunrisers Leeds X account suspended after Hundred auction backlash March 13, 2026 Sunrisers Leeds have been caught up in backlash after buying Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred auction. The franchise – owned by India’s Sun Group and a sister team to the IPL’s Sunrisers Hyderabad – had its X account suspended in the early hours of Friday morning after Indian social media users urged others [...]
CVC’s Global Sport Group to announce deal with Gordon Brown-linked Pimco February 11, 2026 CVC Capital Partners’ new sporting arm Global Sport Group is set to announce a deal with Gordon Brown-associated asset management group Pimco. The deal will see the firm which manages around $2 trillion in assets heavily involved in debt financing, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. The senior debt financing is set to be worth [...]
Aussie Green reaches record IPL auction sale price December 16, 2025 Australian Cameron Green has been sold for £2.1m at the Indian Premier League auction to become the most expensive overseas cricket player in history. The all-rounder will play for Ramandeep Singh’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2026 IPL competition having been purchased for 25.2 crore by the eastern team. The Kolkata Knight Riders, whose 2024 [...]
IPL value drops for second year in row, sinking 10 per cent October 15, 2025 The IPL’s estimated value has been downgraded for the second consecutive year, with the franchise cricket competition shrinking by over 10 per cent. The biggest cricket league in the world has been rocked by changes to betting laws in India, while a less competitive media rights landscape has contributed to D&P Advisory declaring shrinkage in [...]
Stokes and Archer in $4.5m raise for Indian medical treatment firm October 7, 2025 England cricketers Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have taken part of a $4.5m raise for a company that will offer UK patients medical treatments in India. The duo will join India’s KL Rahul through their 4Cast vehicle, as well as lead investor Nexus Venture Partners, in investing in The Medical Travel Company, which claims to [...]