ECB Rejects Billion-Dollar Offer for The Hundred, Prioritizes Control and BCCI Ties
The English Cricket Board (ECB) has declined a lucrative $1 billion offer from Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi to acquire and restructure The Hundred, prioritizing control and maintaining good relations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), according to The Daily Telegraph.
Reports claim Modi, alongside his team, presented a ten-year plan for the ECB’s fledgling domestic league, valuing it at $1 billion and proposing funding through private investment. However, the board remains hesitant for two key reasons.
Firstly, surrendering control over a significant portion of the domestic season through a potential sale is unsettling for the ECB. Secondly, concerns arise regarding possible BCCI disapproval due to Modi’s permanent ban from the organization in 2013 for misconduct.
He was banned for life from holding any cricket post by the BCCI in 2013, found guilty of serious misconduct and indiscipline, such as rigging bids during the franchise auction in 2010, selling media and internet rights without authorization, and secretly trying to create a rebel T20 league in England.
The BCCI revoked a four-year ban on the Rajasthan Cricket Association in 2018, with conditions that Lalit Modi would not be permitted to associate with any form of cricket administration in any capacity whatsoever pertaining to the Rajasthan Cricket Association or its affiliated bodies.
Launched in 2021, The Hundred features eight franchises, mirroring the IPL structure, and has garnered a new audience with its unique format: 100-ball innings, five-ball “sets” instead of overs, and simultaneous men’s and women’s matches, promoting women’s cricket visibility.
Despite attracting a new fanbase, The Hundred has ruffled feathers within the traditional county format, leaving eight grounds out of its purview.
Modi’s proposal aimed to revamp the concept, transforming it into a ten-team T20 competition with sizable budgets, potentially rivaling the IPL. Despite its allure, the ECB ultimately opted to reject the offer, choosing instead to pursue an equity sale that secures funding while retaining control over its newest project.
This decision underscores the ECB’s delicate balancing act: attracting significant investment while safeguarding the integrity of the English cricket system and navigating potentially strained relations with the BCCI.
The future of The Hundred remains open, but the ECB’s stance suggests a willingness to evolve the format while prioritizing its own vision and international partnerships.
