England offer BCCI, IPL franchises share in The Hundred pie

NEW DELHI: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly luring Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises by offering them stakes in The Hundred, an innovative league starting this July in England.

According to a report published in The Telegraph in England, each of the eight IPL franchises have been offered "25 per cent stake" in all the eight teams of The Hundred, with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) reportedly showing interest.

Besides, the ECB has also offered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a "slice of Asian television rights" to get the glamour boys of world cricket, such as ViratKohli, JaspritBumrah and Rishabh Pant, among others, to play in The Hundred.

The talks between the BCCI and the ECB had started before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, said the report. It also said that when ECB chair Ian Watmore and CEO Tom Harrison visited Ahmedabad for the India-England pink ball Test last month, they discussed The Hundred with the BCCI officials.

Two senior BCCI officials, however, said on Thursday that they were not aware of any development or talks between the ECB and the BCCI regarding The Hundred. "I am not aware of it," one of them told IANS, while the other concurred with him.

"It is understood the ECB is considering a number of potential partnership opportunities with India as they look to capitalise on a relationship with the game's powerhouse that has never been stronger," said the Telegraph report, adding: "It is also expected that Indian players will be made available this summer for the women's Hundred, potentially paving the way for the men to follow in 2022."

The Hundred will be played from July 22 to August 21, with the final slated at Lord's, London. IANS

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