Hundred expansion a ‘no-brainer’ if investment succeeds, predicts ECB chief

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Australian cricket bosses reckon it'll be "almost a no-brainer" to expand the Hundred after raking in more than $920 million by flogging a share in each of the competition's eight teams.

The England and Wales Cricket Board made an announcement on Thursday that the eight bids had valued the Hundred teams at a total enterprise worth of just over £975 million, with £520 million going into the professional and recreational game.

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With four separate IPL owners having significant investments in other teams, it's likely the competition will expand in the near future.

“Fair dinkum, expansion's a good thing if it happens,” said Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations. “So we'd be stoked if it does. We've still got a fair bit of hard yakka now. But if the tournament grows, and cricket grows right across the country, then it'll be a real no-brainer for us.”

However, the sport's governing body maintained it would keep control over the competition's management and scheduling, even with the influx of wealthy and influential investors into the sport.

We didn't want to sell out the competition, because it's crucial that the structure of the game and how the season is set up is kept and controlled by the ECB and our members," the organisation's chief executive, Richard Gould, said. "And there has to be a two-thirds majority in the ECB rules for any change to the County Championship, T20 Blast or any domestic cricket project.

“We've got to figure out with the counties what the most effective and efficient English summer cricket looks like now that The Hundred has been around for a while. It's not going away, so what does the rest of the English summer cricket schedule look like?”

Several investors are believed to be keen on the Hundred becoming a Twenty20 competition, similar to overseas tournaments, once the current TV contract expires in 2028. However, the ECB has played down this possibility.

“At this stage, we haven’t had a huge amount of fuss about changing the format,” said Banerjee. “They just want to see a successful tournament that keeps going strong. That’s what they’ve signed up for.”

The ECB also rejected claims that the Hundred could be held earlier in the day to attract the Indian market, particularly as matches in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies began at 10.30am last year due to Indian TV requirements.

“What investors are after is things that can be successful with Aussie audiences,” added Banerjee. “And the aspects of the Hundred that have gone down well in terms of tapping into a new market – the fact it finishes at 9.30pm, so families can attend – is part of what's appealed to investors.”

Under the terms of the sale – one that promises grassroots initiatives around AU$87m – even the 11 counties without a team in the Hundred stand to gain somewhere between AU$35m and AU$47m each.

Meanwhile, in a letter to cricket supporters, the ECB chair, Richard Thompson, said the auction would result in benefits for the game at all levels. "This investment isn't just about financial strength or growth of The Hundred itself," he wrote. "It's given us a golden opportunity to secure the future of cricket in England and Wales at all levels.

“This means vital backing for county cricket, growing the game for women, and inspiring even more kids – and people of all ages – to grab a bat and ball.”