ECB chair Richard Thompson has said it's "only a matter of time" before Indian players play in The Hundred, following the completion of six of the eight buy-outs of Hundred teams.
Three of the six completed deals involve IPL team owners, with one of the two deals still in progress also involving an IPL owner.
Speaking on BBC Test Match Special during the lunch break of the first day of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, Thompson spoke about the potential impact of securing franchise partners for the eight teamsin The Hundred.
Thompson: 'Only a matter of time before the Indian players will play in The Hundred'
Thompson hailed the completion of six of the deals – with the remaining two to be formally finalised at a later date – as "a great day for the game".
"This has enabled us to hopefully create a competition that becomes the IPL of the Northern hemisphere," said Thompson. "I think it's only a matter of time before the Indian players will play in The Hundred. And that period, that four weeks in late July, early August, will become the No.1 competition in the Northern hemisphere. We always thought we should be the biggest challenger to the IPL, but doing what we did [securing private investment] will now guarantee that will be the case."
'It's a great day for the game.'
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 31, 2025
ECB chair Richard Thompson on the money that counties will receive from the sales of stakes in Hundred teams.
The ECB sold stakes in all 8 franchises earlier this year, raising around £520m to be split across the game. #BBCCricket #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/aJUv9TLWa4
While India's women's players already feature in franchise cricket globally, including in the Hundred, Indian men's players who play in their country's domestic system are not allowed to take part in other T20 leagues around the world. The only exception to this is when a player has retired from both international and domestic cricket. This means that vanishingly few Indian players have participated in other franchise leagues apart from the IPL, which protects the IPL's brand as the only league in which to watch superstar Indian players. Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik became the first Indian player to feature in the SA20 earlier this year, having retired from both international cricket and from playing duties in the IPL.
With significant stakes in franchises now held by several IPL team-owners, and the English domestic season not clashing with the traditional Indian season, these factors could pave the way for a change in those regulations. Reliance Industries Ltd, who run Mumbai Indians, are set to buy a 49 per cent stake in Oval Invincibles, while RPSG Group, which also runs Lucknow Super Giants, have a 70 per cent stake in Manchester Originals. Sunrisers Hyderabad owners Sun Group bought 100 per cent of Northern Superchargers, and GMR Group who co-own Delhi Capitals hold a 49 per cent stake in Southern Brave, while also owning Hampshire County Cricket Club, who own the other 51 per cent of Southern Brave.
Thompson: Hundred sale will help to preserve the 18 counties
The sale of the ECB's stakes in The Hundred franchises earlier this year raised around £520 million, which will be split across the game in England and Wales. "At the same time, [we want to] preserve the 18 counties, and it's a cliche, but what are you more interested in, values or valuations?" said Thompson. "I'm interested more in having values than valuations but, on this occasion, we have both."
The eight Hundred franchises were valued at more than £1 billion collectively, with several host counties retaining all or part of their own stakes in individual franchises. The financial windfall from the sale will be welcome by counties, with those who don't host franchises also set to feel the benefits.
In a report into the financial health of the domestic game in England and Wales released earlier this month, the gap between counties who host Hundred franchises and those that don't was described as "yawning gap". Co-author of the report, Professor Rob Wilson, stated that without the money from The Hundred sale, "three or four" counties may face bankruptcy.
Ten per cent of the revenue raised by the sale is set to be invested in recreational cricket with the rest divided between the 18 first-class counties and the MCC. Money will also be set aside by those who facilitated the deal, like The Raine Group, Deloitte and the ECB's lawyers.
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