The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed the completion of “six strategic partners” for six of the teams in The Hundred.
The remaining two are set for formal completion at a later date but they remain on track and in line with the ECB having offered investors the option of completing at a later date. This will see Reliance Group take 49 per cent of Oval Invincibles and Cain International & Ares Management owning 49 per cent of Trent Rockets.
The six deals which have now been completed are Tech Titans taking a 49 per cent stake in London Spirit, Knighthead Capital Management, LLC, on behalf of its investors (“Knighthead”) taking a 49 per cent stake in Birmingham Phoenix, RPSG Group with a 70 per cent stake in Manchester Originals, Sun TV Network Limited coming in with 100 per cent of Northern Superchargers, GMR Group with 49 per cent of Southern Brave, and Washington Freedom with 50 per cent of Welsh Fire.
The completion of these investments comes just a week before the start of the 2025 competition and from it, “more than £500m of total proceeds when all deals are complete to be shared between professional counties and the grassroots game”.
In most cases, investors will operate their franchise in The Hundred in partnership with the host club and they will take over operational control from October 1, 2025.
ECB Chair Richard Thompson, said: “The Hundred has already played a vital role in growing cricket in England and Wales – attracting new audiences, elevating the women’s game, and delivering high-quality entertainment. The sheer scale of global interest we’ve seen throughout this process highlights just how much potential remains to be unlocked.
“With these new partners on board, we’re entering an exciting new phase and a seminal moment for cricket in England and Wales. Their global perspective and track record in elite sport and business will help us reimagine what’s possible – from deepening fan connections to attracting even more world-class players.
“Crucially, this investment will not only fuel the competition’s growth but also channel transformative levels of funding into our professional counties and grassroots game. This will ensure cricket continues to thrive at all levels across England and Wales for generations to come, supporting our broader ambitions to become the country’s most inclusive sport and driving cricket into harder to reach and under-served communities.”
