ECB facing pressure to drop prices in Hundred franchise sale April 2, 2025 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could be asked to accept less than the £520m offered by new investors for 49 per cent of the eight Hundred franchises if they refuse to hand over control of the competition’s next television contract, which will begin in 2028. The ECB wants to continue its successful policy [...]
Flintoff, Vaughan and Anderson register for Hundred cricket draft March 5, 2025 Rocky Flintoff, son of former England favourite Andrew, has registered himself for the Hundred draft alongside Archie Vaughan, son of Michael. Flintoff, 16, and Vaughan, 19, are among more than 800 players to have put their names forward for inclusion in this year’s competition, with the draft scheduled for 12 March. At the other end [...]
Man who spearheaded £975m Hundred sale rewarded with new job by ECB February 27, 2025 Vikram Banerjee, the man who spearheaded the sale of eight minority stakes in the Hundred, has been rewarded with a promotion by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Banerjee will take up the role of managing director of the Hundred after the competition saw its eight franchises valued at £975m after a series of auctions [...]
Moeen Ali to miss the Hundred and leave county cricket February 24, 2025 The Hundred chiefs have suffered a setback after Birmingham Phoenix captain and former England all-rounder Moeen Ali opted out of this summer’s tournament. Moeen, 37, will take on a player-coach role for the final year of his contract with Warwickshire, which will see him try to help the Birmingham Bears win the T20 Blast. That [...]
Ahead of the Game: Tottenham in crosshairs as Ratcliffe eyes more cuts February 19, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are set to continue cutting their investment in sport beyond Manchester United with the company’s commercial deal with Tottenham Hotspur unlikely to be renewed. Spurs signed a five-year contract with Ineos Grenadier as their official 4×4 vehicle partner in 2022, having previously partnered with Ineos Hygienics as official hand sanitiser [...]
Hundred: Who are winners and losers from £1bn cricket sale? February 14, 2025 When a collective £975m valuation was placed on the Hundred this month many were surprised a competition in its infancy could fetch such a number. But the franchise competition through, largely, eight 49 per cent stakes being sold by the England and Wales Cricket Board, has exceeded expectations – around £700m was seen as a [...]
Manchester Originals investors ‘happy’ despite missing out on London Spirit February 14, 2025 The owner of Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super Giants, RPSG Group, says it is “extremely happy” to have bought a stake in the Hundred franchise Manchester Originals despite initially bidding for Lord’s-based London Spirit. RPSG was gazumped in the auction of a 49 per cent stake in London Spirit by a consortium of Silicon [...]
ECB open to playing Hundred matches overseas after £1bn sale February 13, 2025 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says it would be open to staging Hundred matches overseas following the sale of stakes in all eight franchises that values them at close to £1bn. The ECB will retain control of the competition but has pledged to engage with its powerful coterie of new investors, who include [...]
Ambanis and Boehly: Who owns the Hundred teams after £975m sale? February 13, 2025 With the sale of Southern Brave confirmed on Wednesday, all eight of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s 49 per cent stakes in Hundred franchises have been sold. Sellers, counties and buyers will now enter into exclusive negotiations on the details but it is expected to run, mostly, without a hitch. The valuations placed on [...]
Ahead of the Game: Six Nations TV rights tender hit by delay February 12, 2025 The Six Nations TV tender has been put on hold due to delays in finalising the format of the new global Nations Championship, which will launch next year. The 12-team tournament will definitely take place, with each nation playing three games in each hemisphere followed by play-offs in London, but the Six Nations and Sanzaar [...]