The Hundred Team Owners List: Breakdown of 2026 Franchise Ownership

The Hundred sold out before the 2026 season. Not tickets. Ownership stakes.

All eight franchises brought in private investors. Counties kept some control but handed over operations.

The new owners spent October 2025 rebranding teams and preparing for the tournament’s first-ever auction.

This wasn’t a small shift. Half the league got Indian money. The other half went American.

Three teams changed names completely. The auction format replaced the old draft system.

The tournament that started in 2021 looks totally different now.

The Hundred Team Owners List

Breaking Down The Hundred Ownership Structure

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ran a sale process in 2025. Every franchise needed investment. Counties couldn’t fund teams alone.

Investors bought between 49% and 100% stakes. Most deals left counties with minority shares. A few kept majority control. One team sold everything.

The buyers came from two main groups. Four had IPL experience. Four were American sports investors.

Nobody bought a team to lose money. They want The Hundred to grow into something bigger.

The auction started March 2026 at Piccadilly Lights in London.

Players got sorted into Hero, Ranked, and Nominated tiers. Teams bid on them as the IPL does. The draft system from previous years is gone.

Indian Companies Control Four Hundred Teams

Indian cricket money changed the league fast.

• RPSG Group grabbed the biggest stake. They paid for 70% of the Manchester Super Giants. Lancashire kept 30%. RPSG also runs Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. They renamed Manchester Originals and changed the colors to purple and gold.
• Sun Group went all in. They bought 100% of what used to be Northern Superchargers. Yorkshire got nothing. The team is now Sunrisers Leeds. Same orange and black as Sunrisers Hyderabad. Same ownership that runs Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa.
• Reliance Industries added another MI team. The Ambani family took 49% of what was Oval Invincibles. Surrey kept 51%. The rebrand to MI London brought blue and gold everywhere. Mumbai Indians now have teams in five countries.
• GMR Group partnered with Hampshire for Southern Brave. They own the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. The team name didn’t change, but the management structure did. GMR brings its player development approach from India.

American Investment Groups Back the Other Four

US money filled the other half of the ownership map.

• Knighthead Capital Management bought 49% of Birmingham Phoenix. Warwickshire held onto 51%. Knighthead also owns the Birmingham City football club. They know English sports fans but not cricket specifically.
• Tech Titans took 49% of the London Spirit. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) kept majority control. MCC doesn’t give up ownership easily. Tech Titans got a minority stake and influence on operations.
• Chelsea’s ownership group joined with Nottinghamshire for the Trent Rockets. Both sides share control. The exact split wasn’t made public. Rockets kept their name and brand.
• Sanjay Goval split Welsh Fire 50-50 with Glamorgan. Goval is Indian-American. He’s got business interests in both countries. Fire stayed Fire but got new backing.

Three Teams Got Complete Makeovers

Rebranding hit hard for some fans.

The Oval Invincibles became MI London overnight. New jerseys. New logo. New marketing.

The Oval still hosts matches, but it’s Mumbai Indians territory now. Surrey stuck around with 51%, but Reliance drives the brand.

Manchester Originals turned into Manchester Super Giants. RPSG brought their LSG template from India.

Purple replaced the original colors. Old Trafford cricket ground got a visual overhaul. Lancashire fans had mixed reactions.

Northern Superchargers disappeared completely. Sunrisers Leeds took over. Yorkshire lost everything in the deal.

Headingley now flies orange flags. The Sun Group doesn’t do partnerships. They wanted full control and got it.

Five other teams kept their names. But everyone updated kits, logos, and merchandise.

New owners wanted their mark without killing existing brands.

How The Auction Changed Player Economics?

The switch to an auction scrambled the player market.

The previous hundred drafts let teams protect certain cricketers. Not anymore.

Everyone went into the pool. Base prices started at £30,000. Stars commanded way more.

Bidding wars happened for top talent. Teams with deep pockets won. Teams with tight budgets got creative. The auction lasted hours.

Pakistan players struggled early. Shadab Khan went unsold. Haris Rauf got no bids initially.

Political factors might have played a role. Scheduling conflicts definitely did.

Usman Tariq broke through. Birmingham Phoenix paid £140,000 for the spinner.

He’d bowled well at the T20 World Cup 2026. That recent form mattered. Auction prices track performance from the past six months.

Some English players got squeezed. Overseas stars took bigger chunks of the salary cap.

Counties complained but didn’t have much leverage. The new owners make those calls now.

Expert Insight: What IPL Owners Bring to English Cricket?

The Indian investment isn’t just money. It has experience running successful T20 franchises.

Sun Group knows how to win. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 IPL. Their South African team competes hard every season.

They hire smart coaches and analysts. Sunrisers Leeds gets that infrastructure now.

Mumbai Indians have five IPL titles. The Ambani family runs a machine. Player scouting, brand building, and fan engagement.

MI London inherits that playbook. Surrey benefits even with minority ownership.

RPSG Group spent big in the IPL. Lucknow Super Giants made the playoffs in their first season.

They don’t mess around with budgets. Manchester Super Giants should have serious resources.

GMR Group develops young players well. Delhi Capitals reach the playoffs regularly without winning titles.

Their academy system produces talent. Southern Brave could use that approach with English cricketers.

The American investors bring different strengths. Knighthead has sports experience but not cricket-specific knowledge.

Tech Titans and Chelsea’s group can spend money. Whether they understand the game well enough matters.

One concern: IPL owners might treat The Hundred as a minor league.

A place to test young Indian players or park overseas talent between IPL seasons. That could hurt the tournament’s identity.

What Counties Gave Up and Kept?

Counties made tough choices in these deals.

Most kept minority stakes. That gives them some revenue and input.

They lost operational control. Investors decide coaching hires, player budgets, and branding.

Yorkshire got wiped out completely. No stake in Sunrisers Leeds.

They still host matches at Headingley but don’t run the team. That’s a huge shift for one of cricket’s oldest counties.

Surrey, Lancashire, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Glamorgan, and Nottinghamshire stayed involved.

The MCC kept majority control of the London Spirit. Those partnerships could work if investors respect county cricket’s role.

The money helps counties fund their own teams. Championship cricket doesn’t generate much revenue.

A hundred investment fixes that gap. But counties lost influence over how England’s newest format develops.

Team Owners of The Hundred League: Quick Reference

Here’s who controls what heading into 2026:

• Birmingham Phoenix: Knighthead Capital (49%), Warwickshire (51%)
• London Spirit: Tech Titans (49%), MCC (51%)
• Manchester Super Giants: RPSG Group (70%), Lancashire (30%)
• Sunrisers Leeds: Sun Group (100%)
• MI London: Reliance Industries (49%), Surrey (51%)
• Southern Brave: GMR Group + Hampshire (partnership)
• Trent Rockets: Chelsea owners + Nottinghamshire (shared)
• Welsh Fire: Sanjay Goval (50%), Glamorgan (50%)

Frequently Asked Questions

• Which Hundred teams are owned by Indian companies?

Four teams have Indian ownership: Manchester Super Giants (RPSG), Sunrisers Leeds (Sun Group), MI London (Reliance), and Southern Brave (GMR). That’s half the league.

• Did any county lose all ownership?

Yes. Yorkshire has zero stake in Sunrisers Leeds. Sun Group bought 100%. Every other county kept at least partial ownership.

• When did these ownership changes happen?

Deals closed in October 2025. New owners took operational control immediately. The first auction under new management happened in March 2026.

• Why did teams change names?

New owners wanted brand consistency. MI London matches the Mumbai Indians. Sunrisers Leeds matches Sunrisers Hyderabad. Manchester Super Giants matches Lucknow Super Giants. Rebranding helps global recognition.

• How much did investors pay for stakes?

Exact figures weren’t made public. Reports suggest deals ranged from £30 million to £120 million, depending on stake size and team location. London teams cost more than others.

Where The Hundred Goes From Here?

Private ownership changes everything about this tournament.

Investors want returns. That means higher ticket prices, more aggressive marketing, and pressure to expand globally.

The 100-ball format might spread to other countries if these owners push it.

The IPL model works in India. Whether it works in England is unknown.

Cricket fans here have different expectations. They care about counties and Test cricket. The Hundred can’t ignore that.

American investors might not understand those dynamics. They see franchise sports as purely commercial.

Cricket has traditions that don’t translate to balance sheets.

The 2026 season will show which ownership groups get it.

Good owners support the tournament without destroying what makes English cricket different. Bad owners treat it like any other product.

One thing’s clear: The Hundred isn’t an ECB experiment anymore. It’s a business with shareholders who expect profits.

Also Check:

• The Hundred 2026 Auction
• The Hundred Auction List of Registered Players
• The Hundred 2026 Auction Rules
• The Hundred Player Selection Process
• The Hundred 2026 Fixtures
• The Hundred 2026 Women’s Fixtures

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