English cricket’s youngest format is wearing new colors and, in some cases, entirely new names. Following the ECB’s sale of stakes across all eight Hundred franchises, several teams have rebranded ahead of the 2026 season under their new ownership groups. Northern Superchargers have become Sunrisers Leeds after Indian media conglomerate Sun Group completed a takeover reported at around £100 million, while Manchester Originals are now Manchester Super Giants and Oval Invincibles have been renamed MI London. The rebranding exercise extended to kits, logos and stadium signage across the affected grounds, giving fans returning for the 2026 season a visibly different competition even before a ball is bowled.
The Scale Of The Sale
The numbers behind the sale are substantial. The ECB’s push to sell stakes in all eight franchises produced a total valuation of £975 million across the competition, a figure that reflects both the league’s growing broadcast appeal and the willingness of major global investors, many with existing IPL ties, to pay for a foothold in English cricket. Reliance Industries, the Ambani-owned conglomerate that already runs Mumbai Indians in the IPL, bought a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles, directly explaining the MI London rebrand and bringing one of world cricket’s most recognizable franchise brands into an English ground. The move extends Reliance’s cricket portfolio across multiple leagues and continents, mirroring a strategy other global ownership groups have pursued as franchise cricket’s various domestic competitions increasingly function as interconnected commercial ecosystems rather than isolated national tournaments.
Sun Group’s Full Takeover In Leeds
The Northern Superchargers situation is the most dramatic of the ownership changes. Sun Group did not simply buy a stake in the Hundred franchise; it also acquired Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s 49% interest, giving the Indian conglomerate full, 100% control of both the T20-style franchise and the historic county side that hosts it. That dual ownership arrangement is unprecedented in English domestic cricket and raises fresh questions about how much influence overseas investors will have over team identity, player pathways and even ground redevelopment decisions at a traditional county long associated with homegrown talent.
A New Auction System Replaces The Draft
Operationally, 2026 marks the first Hundred season in which the new stakeholders have genuine say, and one of the most visible changes is the switch from a draft system to an IPL-style player auction. Previous seasons allocated players to franchises through a structured draft process; the new auction format hands bidding power directly to franchise ownership groups, letting them compete openly for the players they want rather than working through an allocation mechanism, a shift that mirrors how Indian owners in particular are used to building rosters. Early reaction from players’ representatives has been largely positive, with several agents noting that an open auction gives established internationals more leverage over which franchise they join than a draft system, where clubs could simply select a player regardless of personal preference.
The Case For Overseas Investment
Supporters of the sale argue it has rescued The Hundred’s long-term financial footing, injecting capital that counties badly needed after years of uncertain central funding, while also connecting the competition to global cricket markets and fan bases that could boost broadcast reach well beyond Britain. The ECB has framed the Indian investment specifically as a chance to feed off the IPL’s commercial growth, hoping some of that league’s audience and sponsorship appetite follows the ownership links into English franchises.
The Case For Caution
Critics, including some traditionalists within county cricket, worry that overseas conglomerates gaining full or near-full control, as in Yorkshire’s case, risks eroding the local identity and community ties that underpin county cricket’s appeal, even as the franchise side of the ledger modernizes. There are also questions about how decisions get made when a single ownership group controls both a historic county and its associated Hundred franchise, particularly around ground usage, scheduling and player development priorities that may not always align.
What’s Next
The 2026 season will be the first real test of whether the new ownership structures and the auction system translate into sharper competition and bigger audiences, or whether the rebranding proves more cosmetic than substantive. Expect close scrutiny of how Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and MI London perform both on the field and commercially, with other counties and franchise owners watching closely for lessons before the next wave of Hundred investment decisions.
Photo: jplenio / PIXABAY via Pixabay