 "Chelsea owner Todd Boehly beats KKR to acquiring The Hundred franchise Trent Rockets")
Cain International, backed by Chelsea football club boss Todd Boehly, secured the winning stake in The Hundred franchise Trent Rockets on Tuesday, beating rival bids from Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). According to ESPNCricinfo, the group that is led by Chelsea director Jonathan Goldstein and Chelsea’s joint-owner Boehly have secured a 49 per cent stake in the Rockets in a deal that was worth £80 million.
American billionaire Boehly had taken control of former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea in 2022 through his consortium BlueCo after Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sold the club following his nation’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. BlueCo also owns Ligue 1 club RC Strasbourg Alsace. Boehly also owns the LA Dodgers team in Major League Baseball.
Cain International beat KKR as well as Indian investor Amit Jain, who was working in conjunction with RCB, to the winning bid for the Rockets, who had won the men’s tournament in 2022. KKR own franchises in several other leagues including the Caribbean Premier League (Trinbago Knight Riders), International League T20 (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) and in Major League Cricket (Los Angeles Knight Riders).
RCB, on the other hand, do not own franchises leagues outside the IPL except the Women’s Premier League, where they currently are the defending champions.
As many as three IPL franchises have acquired a controlling stake in teams that are part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) flagship white-ball tournament.
Quick Reads
View AllMumbai Indians had their eyes on securing one of the two London-based franchises and succeeded in securing a 49 per cent stake in the Oval Invincibles. The five-time IPL champions thus continued their global expansion after acquiring franchises in ILT20, SA20 and MLC.
Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad would then buy winning bids for Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers respectively, the former acquiring 70 per cent control after Lancashire – the country that the Originals represent in The Hundred – agreed to sell part of their share.
Also Read | ECB says The Hundred will not be 'taken over' by IPL franchises
Knighthead Capital, a US group that includes NFL legend Tom Brady, have taken ownership of Birmingham Phoenix while a Silcon Valley tech consortium headed by Nikesh Arora acquired a 49 per cent stake in London Spirit valued at a whopping £249 million.
Delhi Capitals, who own franchises in SA20 and ILT20 as well as Legends League Cricket (LLC), are reportedly on the verge of finalising a deal to acquire Southern Brave after buying the Hampshire County Cricket Club in a historic deal.
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