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The owners of Indian Premier League franchises Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are reportedly engaged in a fiery battle to acquire the Manchester Originals in The Hundred. The development comes after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sought investment from IPL franchises in the English cricket scenario. The Manchester Originals are solely owned by Lancashire, and make them a target of the Indian teams.
As per several reports, the interest of both Indian franchises came after former IPL chairman Lalit Modi criticised the auction process of The Hundred. KKR, owned by notable Bollywood personalities including Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, already own leagues in Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket. On the other hand, CSK’s owner N Srinivasan also sees investment in the English scene as a great value.
Lancashire’s Chief Executive expresses interest to collaborate with IPL teams
Lancashire’s chief executive Daniel Gidney expressed his desire to collaborate with an IPL franchise, considering the reputation and following of the league. He also revealed that all 10 IPL franchises have shown interest in buying a stake in the English cricketing sphere. Earlier, it was LSG whose reports of showing interest in the English scene made rounds; however, it is now KKR and CSK.
Notably, the ECB has been wanting to privatise The Hundred by selling stakes of all eight teams. Apart from CSK and KKR, several other IPL franchises including Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians have also shown interest in purchasing stakes of franchises.
