In order to take the Hundred to greater heights, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly set to privatise the tournament.
The Hundred is a 100-ball tournament that got underway in 2021. City-based teams across England and Wales compete in the competition. At present, eight teams participate in the Hundred. As far as the format of the tournament is concerned, each team gets to face a maximum 100 legal deliveries per innings.
The ECB’s plan to privatise the tournament will go ahead once at least two-thirds of the 18 county teams agree to it. As per a report in moneycontrol, 10 county teams have already ‘agreed in principle’ for the privatisation of the Hundred. The ECB now need the approval from just two more teams before proceeding with its plan.
Lalit Modi, N Srinivasan to invest in the Hundred:
The report further stated that former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and BCCI president N Srinivasan are set to be linked with the Hundred. The are likely to be among the investors for the tournament that is expected to be launched by 2025.
The new format could also witness the addition of new teams. Modi has been living in London for years now and has reportedly offered ‘to bring in a billion-dollar investment’ for the revamped private league. On the other hand, Srinivasan’s company is linked with several T20 leagues and has teams in IPL, SA20 and MLC.
“The IPL franchise owners are already making a good deal of money from the T20 league. It makes sense for them to invest money because they can sustain it. They’re already earning from a cricket league, so makes sense to expand and invest in another. For a complete outsider to put in money and break even at some point will be a bigger challenge,” the publication quoted an unnamed source as saying.
Several IPL franchises have also expressed their interest in the new league. The report claimed that the likes of Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders are showing keen interest in the upcoming project.
“As for Rajasthan Royals, well the franchise operates out of UK and Jaipur, considering their owner is based out of London. So, England is as good as home,” a source was quoted as saying.
