Former IPL commissioner shows interest to invest in 'The Hundred'

The Hundred has gained massive success since its inception. The tournament has been played by many renowned cricketers. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are planning to privatize the tournament. The plan will go ahead once at least two-thirds of ECB’s 18 county teams give their approval for the same. According to a Moneycontrol story, ten county teams have 'accepted in principle', and once two more give their consent on the same, the ECB will move on with their plan to revamp The Hundred.

The Hundred is a limited-overs match, which is similar to T20 in that each team plays 20 overs, but the number of deliveries per over is decreased from six to five. In other words, each team will confront a maximum of 100 legal deliveries per innings. The number of teams for the private league could be increased. Currently, eight teams compete in The Hundred.

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi, who is in central London, and his long-time colleague-turned-adversary N Srinivasan could once again be in the headlines as they have shown interest to invest in the Hundred which is set to be turned as a private league in the upcoming year. 

The IPL franchise owners are already making a good deal of money: Source

The publication quoted an unnamed source, "The IPL franchise owners are already making a good deal of money from the T20 league. It makes sense for them to invest money because they can sustain it. They’re already earning from a cricket league, so makes sense to expand and invest in another. For a complete outsider to put in money and break even at some point will be a bigger challenge."

The publication further reports that Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders have also shown interest in the ‘new project’. The source further added, "As for Rajasthan Royals, well the franchise operates out of the UK and Jaipur, considering their owner is based out of London. So, England is as good as home."