London is in contention to field a third team in The Hundred if competition increases to 10 teams, potentially exposing the capital to a battle with the North East and South West to qualify for the expansion tournament There is.
The future of The Hundred remains a hotly debated topic, with debate continuing over both private investment and the future form of the competition. If expanded to 10 teams, it was thought that the North East, home to Durham, and the South West, possibly home to Bristol and Taunton, would gain teams.
However, a third Hundred team in London has been floated as an alternative. Discussions with stakeholders are ongoing, but placing a third team in the capital could also be an option.
Potential investors may be particularly attracted to London teams, particularly those playing at Lord’s, which is already home to the London Spirit.
The idea will be controversial, especially for proponents in the Northeast and Southwest. However, London has a population of around 9 million people and has consistently shown the ability to achieve sold out matches in all formats, including The Hundred. In Premier League football, 6 out of 20 clubs are based in London, with that number increasing further in recent seasons.
Last month, Marylebone Cricket Club chairman Mark Nicholas said he was hopeful the MCC could land a Hundred team. MCC is not currently affiliated with any professional team brand, and Nicholas has indicated the club’s desire to have its own team in the professional game.
“There’s some support for that,” Nicholas told The Cricketer. “We are waiting for the ECB to clarify the details. Basically, it is great for MCC members to own and support their own teams.
“Generally speaking, I think it’s a shame that major cricket clubs don’t have teams to support them. If the ECB brings The Hundred to market, it could be a real chance for us to rectify that.”
The London Spirit, the Hundred franchise based at Lord’s, is currently wholly owned by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The team is run by a combination of MCC, Middlesex, Essex and Northants.
If a new Hundred team is established in London, MCC could potentially take full control of London Spirit and either extend its existing relationship with the team or acquire a new team. . The capital’s other Hundred team, the Oval Invincibles, play at The Oval.
It is believed that a third team could strengthen the capital’s efforts to engage urban residents. Research has found that England has a disproportionately low proportion of professional cricketers from London. But there may also be concerns about missed opportunities to expand competition into more areas.
Apart from Lord’s and The Oval, there are no other grounds in London with sufficient capacity to host 100 matches, but Kent recently received planning permission to increase the capacity of Beckenham, which already holds around 10,000 spectators. Obtained. In time, the ground could serve as a secondary venue for the London side and host matches for The Hundred.
A three-quarters majority (15 of 19 votes) from the 18 first-class counties and the MCC is required to change the number of teams in the Hundred. It will also require the participation of three-quarters of all ECB member states: 39 first-class counties, national counties (previously called subcounties), and 30 MCC counties.
Private investment is expected
In reality, decisions about private investment in the tournament are likely to come before decisions about admitting new teams. Including all options, staying at eight teams, expanding to 10 teams, expanding to 18 teams and including all venues in the 18 first-tier counties. The new structure of competition may not come into force until 2029 at the latest, after the current debate over private investment is resolved.
A prospectus for potential investors in The Hundred is expected to be distributed around May. This is a major step in the potential sale of the Hundred Teams to private investment, with the hope that the eight existing Hundred Teams will be brought to market later this year.
Indian Premier League franchises, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds are all likely to be interested in buying The Hundred Side. Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive Venky Mysore has first revealed to Telegraph Sport that he wants to invest in the team in 2020.
Each of the 800 teams is wholly owned by the ECB. One proposal under discussion is that the ECB could sell half its stake in each team to private investors. These funds are put into a pool to benefit the game as a whole, and this money is divided evenly among the 18 top games, with a portion of the pot also set aside for recreational games.
The ECB could then award a 50%+1 stake to each team’s primary host county (for example, Surrey in the case of Oval Invincibles). Each team can then make decisions as it sees fit on how to use its controlling interest – whether to sell or remain involved.
The arrangement is designed to ensure that the wider UK game benefits from private investment in The Hundred. But there will still be concerns that the financial clout of the counties that play in the biggest venues will increase further, further widening the disparity within the 18 top-tier counties.