Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella follow in Mukesh Ambani’s footsteps, join hands to buy stake in…

The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners are making their presence felt in yet another T20 league, this time in England’s The Hundred. After investing in leagues like the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20, and ILT20, they are now eyeing stakes in the latest franchise-based competition.

Mumbai Indians’ owners, Reliance Industries Limited, have secured a 49% stake in The Oval Invincibles for nearly £60 million. However, the biggest deal came from Silicon Valley, where a consortium involving Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella bought London Spirit for £144 million.

The Hundred is a 100-ball tournament that features top cricketing talent from around the world. The competition, which includes eight city-based teams, runs for five weeks every summer. The upcoming edition, set to begin on August 5, 2025, will kick off with a London derby between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord’s.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had set a target of raising £350 million from team sales, following a £400 million valuation by Bridgepoint Group. To maintain control, the ECB decided to sell only 49% of each team while the remaining 51% is held by the eight hosting counties, which can choose to sell or retain their shares. Proceeds from the sale will support grassroots cricket through County teams and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

So far, the ECB has raised £244 million by selling The Oval Invincibles to Reliance and Birmingham Phoenix to Knighthead Capital.