Rishi Sunak calls on PM Andy Burnham to restore £35m pledge for cricket domes Sport Business Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged current PM Andy Burnham to reinstate the £35m funding commitment to building all-weather “cricket domes” he made when he was in No10. Sunak pledged the sum in 2024 to create 22 of the facilities around the country but the Labour government scrapped the funding, labelling it “fantasy”, after [...]
All Hundred owners expected to explore bids for Big Bash cricket franchises Sport Business All eight Hundred owners are expected to explore bids for franchises in Australia’s Big Bash after teams in the T20 cricket competition were put on the market this week, City AM has learned. Cricket Australia this week announced that it would push ahead with a franchise sale, similar to the 2025 Hundred auction, despite some [...]
Stokes Big Bash deal could kickstart £3m franchise cricket pay day Sport Business Former England Test captain Ben Stokes has signed a deal with Australian T20 Big Bash team Adelaide Strikers in a move that could see him earn nearly £3m on the lucrative franchise circuit. Stokes, who retired from international cricket in June, has not played franchise cricket since the 2024 Hundred but has signed Down Under [...]
In defence of The Hundred, by co-chair of Welsh Fire August 20, 2026 Welsh Fire co-chair Mark Rhydderch-Roberts dissects The Hundred season, and urges doubters to give it a go. After a frenetic 27 days and a gripping and sold out Finals Day last Sunday at Lord’s, the 2026 Hundred tournament has concluded. Despite the best efforts of some to focus on a marginal decline in total attendances, [...]
Inside the London workshop that made Hundred, FA Cup and World Cup trophies August 15, 2026 Ahead of the Hundred final Matt Hardy spoke to the makers of the trophy, Thomas Lyte, who now hold a royal warrant Sports may vary in rules, squad sizes, scoring systems and the rest of it but something remains a constant across each and every discipline thousands of us pay our hard-earned cash to watch: [...]
Meet the 33-year-old British former IPL boss changing Indian basketball July 30, 2026 Ahead of the launch of the Indian Basketball League, City AM sat down with the 33-year-old Brit tasked with taking on cricket and kabaddi Jake Lush McCrum is not your run-of-the-mill sports executive. Despite being just 33, the Brit is nearly a decade into senior leadership in sport. But he hasn’t worked his way up [...]
Bumper IPL takeovers boost T20 cricket franchise league’s value to over $20bn July 29, 2026 Multiple blockbuster team sales have boosted the Indian Premier League’s business value to more than $20bn, according to a new report by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey. The IPL’s value has increased more than 11 per cent year-on-year to $20.6bn following the takeovers of franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a record $1.78bn and Rajasthan Royals [...]
Financial gap between Hundred host counties and others widening, report warns July 22, 2026 The financial gap between Hundred host clubs and the other 11 counties is widening and could continue to do so, according to a new financial report. The big four counties of Surrey, Lancashire, Hampshire and Warwickshire generated over half of the total revenue of all 18 first-class counties last year, with a “series of financial [...]
Mega-rich Hundred franchise owners in London for start of competition July 20, 2026 The mega-wealthy owners of London’s two Hundred franchises will be in the capital this week as the franchise cricket competition gets underway at the Oval. One of Asia’s richest family dynasties – the Ambanis – are expected to be at the Vauxhall cricket ground this afternoon as the newly branded MI London – formerly Oval [...]
SailGP, rugby and PJL: Inside the new £50m budget sporting asset class July 14, 2026 With big money tickets ever harder to find, investors are looking far and wide for their next affordable investment. Big-money takeovers will always catch the eye; whether that be the multi-billion-pound purchase of Chelsea by a Todd Boehly-fronted consortium from Roman Abramovich, the £1.3bn takeover of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a [...]