The Hundred Private Investment: The England and Wales Cricket Board has decided to bring in private investments for the Hundred to turn the tournament into one of the biggest franchise leagues like the Indian Premier League before the fourth edition of the Hundred’s Competition.
The Board has confirmed that the financial advisors and legal counsel will be initiating the sale process which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. On this occasion, the IPL league investors are unlikely to invest in the Hundred’s competition as BCCI was against the investment of overseas leagues.
“Not sure if the BCCI will encourage the teams to invest in The Hundred, after what they have done,” said a franchise official. “In such a backdrop, how will the BCCI react if the IPL teams line up to invest in an ECB project,” he concluded.
Earlier this month, the county franchises indicated ECB’s proposal of the franchise sale. The franchises will receive financial benefits from the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred Teams, who are all owned by the ECB- to private investors, which is likely to include IPL owners and private equity firms.
Meanwhile, England captain Jos Buttler who returned back to international duties after playing in the IPL 2024 has said that there should not be any International Cricket during IPL.
“Look, as an England captain, my main priority is to be playing for England. It is my personal opinion that there should not be any international cricket that clashes with the IPL,” said after the completion of 4th T20I match in Pakistan’s tour of England 2024.
Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations will be handling the Stakes sales and has revealed that the upcoming deal will unlock the future potential of the Hundred’s Competition.
“We have identified this moment as the opportunity to take the Hundred to the next level while capitalizing on the global interest in the competition to underpin the structure of the whole domestic game,” Banerjee said. “The opportunity to engage new global strategic partners will help us unlock the future potential of the Hundred.
“We will be looking to engage the very best in world sport to grow the Hundred into a competition that can benefit the whole of cricket for years to come. With proceeds from any investment going directly to the recreational and the county game, it will support the other parts of cricket which are so cherished by fans and players alike and play an important role in identifying and developing talent.”
The ECB said that the Hundred will play “a vital role in the future of our sport” and that counties have been supportive of their plans. “The ambition is to seek partners with the expertise to help take the competition to the next level while ensuring any investment benefits the whole of the game,” the board said.
