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The English cricket gets a pioneering moment, since investors collect 650 million US dollars

By Steve Douglas AP athlete

The English cricket generated around $ 650 million from the sale of missions to franchise companies in the hundred to BIS-BIG-Business investors from India and the United States.

The auctions held in the past two weeks showed offers that appreciate the eight teams in the hundred – a similar format like Twenty20 and only in 2021 in England – with over 1.2 billion US dollars.

English cricket officers confirmed the huge numbers for the first time on Thursday and found how the money should be spent. The priority? Securing the future of the domestic game, which has been in financial disputes in recent years.

“We have achieved a pioneering moment for Cricket in England and Wales,” said Richard Thompson, chairman of the Cricket Board England and Wales.

The investors who agreed on the franchise companies range from Silicon Valley -Tech -Gianten, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft -CE -CEO SATYA NADELLA, to four Indian conglomerates that are already teams in the very popular Indian premier Own League.

Contact Knighthead Capital Management, Birmingham City Soccer Club, and Cain International, a company that was financed by Chelsea part owner Todd Boehly, and there is now a strong dose of specialist knowledge in financial, technology and technology and Elite sport in a once time sport that was charged by money from all over the world. The NFL Great Tom Brady made other sports investments in partnership with Knighthead, but was not part of taking into account a participation in the cricket franchise of Birmingham Phoenix, said Peter McManus, a representative of Knighthead.

Lessons from the Stanford scandal

It was 17 years ago when Allen Stanford, a Texan businessman, in Lords-das so-called “Heimat von Cricket” in northwestern Londons-an on-board of a private helicopter with fake dollars for a remarkable deal with which he achieved the ECB: A T20 series with five games between England and superstars from the Caribbean worth 100 million US dollars.

The ECB was for an allegedly groundbreaking deal that quickly went wrong when Stanford was charged with fraud and later convicted.

So did the ECB learn its lessons after having hit the jackpot again?

“This was probably done in a different style – a little more steamed,” said ECB managing director Richard Gould in a video call. “We are very confident in the investor group that we have. … we weren't complacent. “

The ECB has “extensive Diligence” and “all checks to ensure that this will be a different result” than Stanford's debacle, said Vikram Banerjee, a different result.

Could games be played abroad?

The ECB seems to be open to this, yes.

“We would not be stupid, the amazing set of investors who have great ideas,” said Gould. “We have to make sure that we are a management position that offers stability, but can also drive our investors and County Clubs forward.”

Gould referred to the NFL, the games in overseas and the idea – in 2008 floating around, but was never taken over, played a 39th round of English Premier League games abroad.

Do foreign investors check the English cricket?

No, the ECB emphasizes.

The management committee said that it still had a hundred as competition and thought it was important that the “structure of the game of the ECB and our members (the counties) was held and owned by the ECB”. This means the schedule, the formats and the government of the English cricket.

However, expect the new investors to make changes to their franchise companies when it comes to team names, colors and branding in the hundred from 2026.

The change in times when games are played – for example to correspond to the Indian audience – is “not on the agenda,” said Gould because it is a priority to secure strong visitor numbers within the stadiums.

Banerjee said there was no intention to transform the hundred – a format in which each team receives a maximum of 100 balls – in a T20 competition, but could present the competition with a second stage if there is enough growth.

The ECB said that the new investors had a “blocking period” of five years before they could sell their shares to other parties.

So where will all the money go?

The ECB said that the business that was completed after an exclusive period is underpinned by “long -term financial sustainability” in Germany.

The proceeds from the turnover are divided in 19 ways-between the 18 long-time county teams in English and Welsh domestic play as well as the Marybone Cricket Club, the Lords and is regarded as the guardian of the game. The base game is in line to maintain around £ 50 million ($ 62 million), said the ECB.

“Our three overarching principles, when we see what we should provide this investment, should be strategic, ambitious and leave a legacy,” said Thompson in an open letter. “We may no longer have this opportunity for at least one generation and cannot afford to waste this golden opportunity.”

Thompson spoke of the money that switched to “three core investment areas”: building reserves, sales generation or reduction in debt.

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This story was first published on February 13, 2025. It was updated on February 25, 2025 to correct that Tom Brady was not involved in the purchase of an English cricket franchise by Knighthead Capital Management.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.