IPL franchises are spreading their impact globally, after owning teams in the Caribbean Premier League, International League T20, South Africa's premier franchise Twenty20 and in Major League Cricket, the IPL franchises expanded their base to the England and Wales-based cricket tournament, The Hundred. It is a 100-ball tournament where the county-based franchises from England and Wales participated with their own holdings and shares, but the story started to change from the 2025 season when ECB directed to bring in private investment, aiming to grow the competition and generate significant revenue for English cricket, particularly to support struggling counties and boost grassroots cricket, while also attracting major global investors, similar to IPL owners, to enhance the tournament's financial strength and competitiveness against other global leagues.
Following that, the Reliance Industries Limited, Super Giants owner RPSG group and the Sun group expanded their hands and bought stakes from the counties.
Reliance bought stakes of Oval Invincibles, while RPSG bought stakes of Manchester Originals, and Sun Group took charge of Northern Superchargers. GMR group, who co owns Delhi Capitals, also bought the shares of Southern Brave.
Details of the stakeholders of each team
Reliance Industries Limited, owners of the Mumbai Indians, have acquired a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles, with Surrey retaining the remaining 51%.
Knighthead Capital have purchased 49% of Birmingham Phoenix, while Warwickshire continue to hold 51%.
Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, backed by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs, have secured a 49% stake in London Spirit, with Marylebone Cricket Club retaining majority ownership.
Sanjay Govil, owner of Washington Freedom, has bought 50% of Welsh Fire, leaving Glamorgan with the remaining 50%.
RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka and owners of Lucknow Super Giants, have acquired a 70% stake in Manchester Originals, with Lancashire retaining 30%.
Sun Group, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad, have purchased 100% ownership of Northern Superchargers, with Yorkshire retaining no financial stake.
Cain International, backed by Todd Boehly, alongside Ares Management Credit, have jointly acquired 49% of Trent Rockets, with Nottinghamshire retaining 51%.
GMR Group, co-owners of the Delhi Capitals, have bought 49% of Southern Brave and will also assume operational control of Hampshire.
What will be the new names of the teams owned by the IPL franchise?
As RPSG bought Manchester originals, the team’s new name will be Manchester Super Giants, while the Sun group-owned team Northern Superchargers will be rebranded to Sunrisers Leeds, and the Reliance group-owned team Oval Invincibles will be rebranded as MI London. GMR group-owned Southern Brave will not change its team name, as the GMR group has a smaller share.
The ECB confirmed that each of the investors will have to be committed for five years.
