New Delhi: Indian Premier League franchises and a consortium of top tech giants, across the globe, have been finalised for the final round of England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) eight franchises of The Hundred.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the four teams from the IPL to have interests in buying the Hundred teams. Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals are shortlisted by the ECB. Furthermore, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe are some of the prominent business firms in the field of tech to feature in the final list.
Lancer Capital, whose chairman is Avram Glazer, the co-owner of English football club Manchester United, has also shown keen interest to bid for the two London-based clubs – London Spirit and Oval Invincibles. Even Sanjeev Goenka-led RPSG Group has the desire to boy either of the London city teams. The other team to attract major investors is the Manchester Originals franchise.
All the investors who have made it through the final round will have to make one final financial bid. The bid will be binding and the highest bid will determine the winner for each of the eight teams.
Tech consortium challenges IPL owners
The technology consortium, which will be rivals to the IPL franchise owners in staking claim of Hundred teams, includes the likes of Sundar Pichai (Google CEO), Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO), Egon Durban (Silver Lake Management CEO), and Satyan Gajwani (co-founder of Major League Cricket and vice-chairman of Times of Internet).
The consortium has also been shortlisted for the two London teams, making them the most sorted franchises ahead of the bidding contest.
Sunrisers Hyderabad owners (Sun Group) have been shortlisted to buy either of Trent Rockets, Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire. CVC Capital Partners, who are the owners of IPL team Gujarat Titans, will be interested to bid for Birmingham Phoenix, as per the report.
It should be noted that the ECB is likely to announce the schedule for The Hundred 2025 season in this week, which is a sign of the new owners will take control from the 2026 edition as the bidding process is yet to be held.
IPL franchises like Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad are competing with a consortium of global tech giants, including Google, Microsoft, and Adobe, for ownership of the eight teams. A final binding bid will determine the winners, with the 2026 season expected to see the new owners take control. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
