 "The Oval Invincibles men's team celebrates after winning The Hundred following their victory over Southern Brave on 18 August, 2024. Reuters")
After making their presence felt in several T20 leagues across the world besides the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Mumbai Indians are set to expand their global empire. The Reliance Industries-owned franchise had their eyes on The Hundred – England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) flagship limited-overs league – for quite some time now. And on Thursday, acquired a 49 per cent stake in the Oval Invincibles franchise, according to Sky News.
The Hundred will thus become the fourth non-Indian league after International League T20 (ILT20), SA20 and Major League Cricket (MLC) where the five-time IPL champions and inaugural WPL champions will be in charge of a franchise.
The Oval Invincibles are the defending champions in the Men’s Hundred, having won the last two editions of the editions of the tournament. They’re also two-time winners in the women’s version of the event, lifting the trophy in the first two editions in 2021 and 2022.