CSK Drops Out of The Hundred Franchise Contest-MI, LSG, SRH, DC vie for Franchise Ownership

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has now formally decided to step out of the race for securing a franchise in The Hundred, the novel 100-ball cricket tournament. According to the latest update, the decision has been made by the CEO of CSK, Kasi Viswanathan, and he has informed Cricbuzz that the franchise would not pursue further the ownership of a team in the competition. That leaves four of the most significant teams from the Indian Premier League to fight it out: Mumbai Indians, Lucknow SuperGiants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals.

Viswanathan stated that the franchisee had officially communicated the withdrawal to ECB. According to earlier reports, CSK would not be making a serious run for a place in The Hundred, and its chances were deemed slim along with Kolkata Knight Riders. This move has placed the remaining potential bidders well in the spotlight for a truly competitive process to unfold.

The ECB will have to issue financial bids soon as part of the final stages of the bidding process for its remaining eight franchises. Included in this list are some of cricket's most iconic cities in the English game, such as Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire. All these teams will be sold to the highest bidder, and the exact ownership structure will be decided soon.

Other prominent Indian business groups, which are favorites to occupy those coveted slots, include the Reliance Group, which owns the Mumbai Indians and is the owner of Sanjiv Goenka's Lucknow SuperGiants. A consortium of tech entrepreneurs also wants a share in two of London's megateams: the Spirit, which represents the Marylebone Cricket Club or MCC, and the Oval Invincibles, which is the affiliate of Surrey; and the Manchester Originals.

It's going to get pretty intense regarding the ownership battle of the London and Manchester teams because financial bidding will be significant in determining the high-profile franchise winners. In a competitive game, the bids will be competitively made but the negotiations may take into consideration various factors involving strategic interests of bidders.

Parallelly, Sunrisers Hyderabad's parent company, Sun Group, is preparing itself to buy one of the two franchises: Nottinghamshire-based Trent Rockets or Northern Superchargers representing Yorkshire. Meanwhile, the second-tier football league team Birmingham City, a former powerhouse in the English Premier League football, is keen on buying the team based in its city: Birmingham Phoenix.

However, there is a complexity involved in the sale of the Birmingham Phoenix team. According to information available, Warwickshire County-the present owner of the team-will not like to sell its share in the franchise. As such, the new owner will only acquire a minority stake. This scenario could be a boon for CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm, as it often prefers to invest in organizations rather than outright ownership.

Sanjay Govil, the owner of the Washington Freedom team in the United States and Major League Cricket (MLC), could also get into the fray. He is supposed to be one of the strong candidates for either Glamorgan County-managed Welsh Fire or the Trent Rockets. Glazer family owners of the most iconic football club Manchester United are also reportedly among the top bidders. The Glazers, who are also connected to the Desert Vipers franchise in the UAE-based IL T20, might look to expand their portfolio with a team in The Hundred.

Another big player in the fray is GMR, the conglomerate that recently acquired Hampshire County. GMR is said to be the favorite in the race for the ownership of the Southern Brave franchise, located in Southampton. With their immense experience in managing sports, post their acquisition of Hampshire, they hold a strong upper hand in winning this franchise.

The final round of negotiations is expected to start in the next few days, probably on Friday, January 31. The whole process is likely to be completed by early February, and an official announcement about the new owners is expected to follow soon after. However, even after the new owners are confirmed, their involvement in The Hundred will not start until the 2026 season, as the paperwork and official formalities will take several months to complete.

As the competition intensifies, it will be interesting to see which of these prized franchises will be acquired by which entities and how their presence will shape the landscape of The Hundred in the years to come. The new owners will bring not only financial clout but also a wealth of cricketing knowledge, adding to the prestige of the tournament as it continues to grow in popularity.