ECB open to The Hundred teams getting renamed by IPL franchises: Report

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners will be in focus once again with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) set to sell stakes in the eight teams that are part of The Hundred next month.

According to The Guardian, the ECB’s eagerness to attract IPL money is such that it is open to the Hundred teams getting renamed even if the IPL franchise owners do not acquire a controlling stake. The English board added that even a minority investment in their teams will give the investors huge influence.

The ECB expects all 10 IPL franchises to make bids, with the Ambani family that owns Mumbai Indians expected to make a major bid for the London Spirit team that is based at the Lord’s Cricket Ground — the ‘Home of Cricket’.

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“All the IPL owners are saying they will bid, but they will want some control for their cash. It’s essentially a big brand play for the IPL so we expect them to push for name changes, which will depend on the amount they have invested,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.

Besides IPL franchise owners, the ECB has also been in talks with a number of other potential investors including Hollywood mega-star Ryan Reynolds, owner of third-division football club Wrexham FC and the Glazer Family, who own a majority stake in Premier League giants Manchester United.

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Also expressing interest in buying stakes in one of the teams in The Hundred is Knighthead Capital, which owns Birmingham City football team, whose investors include NFL icon Tom Brady. Knighthead Capital are reportedly interested in acquiring a stake in Birmingham Phoenix.

IPL team owners already own franchises in leagues such as SA20 (South Africa), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), ILT20 (UAE) and Major League Cricket (USA), with each of the six franchises in SA20 owned by IPL franchises.