Indian and US capital reshape The Hundred after £500m investment wave
Foreign investors have fully taken over English cricket's eight-team Hundred tournament, pumping in more than £500m and driving up player wages as franchises adopt global branding.
The Hundred cricket tournament begins its 2026 season on July 21 with all eight franchises now under overseas ownership following a capital injection exceeding £500m. Late 2025 deals saw the Ambani family's Reliance Industries secure a 49 per cent stake in MI London, while Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly's Cain International acquired the same share in Trent Rockets.
The ownership map now reads as a directory of global sports capital. SunRisers Leeds is entirely owned by India's Sun Group, while the RPSG Group holds 70 per cent of Manchester Super Giants. Indian-American businessman Sanjay Goval owns half of Welsh Fire, US-based Tech Titans hold 49 per cent of London Spirit, and GMR Group possesses 49 per cent of Southern Brave.
European football capital is also entering the cricket market. Knighthead Capital Management, which owns Birmingham City FC, holds a 48.4 per cent stake in Birmingham Phoenix. Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has taken a 1.2 per cent stake in the same franchise to help increase community cricket participation.
This financial restructuring has immediately triggered widespread rebranding. Four franchises now carry Indian Premier League-affiliated names and have swapped their traditional British kits to match the colours of their Indian sister teams. MI London traded green for the blue and gold of the Mumbai Indians, while SunRisers Leeds moved from purple to orange.
The new money is rapidly altering the domestic cricket economy by inflating player valuations. In the tournament's latest auction, Sussex all-rounder James Coles was bought for £390,000 by London Spirit. Welsh Fire spent £200,000 on Jordan Cox, while veterans Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine secured £210,000 paydays each. Eighteen-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman went to Southern Brave for £105,000.
Organisers are also tweaking the sporting product to maximise commercial engagement by introducing a combined men's and women's trophy. This will be awarded to the franchise with the highest cumulative points across both tournaments, with each win worth four points. The change adds a new competitive and sponsorship dimension to the event, which runs until August 16.
