Latham Advises England & Wales Cricket Board on Eight Strategic Partnerships for The Hundred, Unlocking Hundreds of Millions of Pounds for Game-Wide Growth
Latham & Watkins has advised the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on a landmark achievement in the evolution of The Hundred, with deals now complete with the first six strategic partners for The Hundred teams, and the two remaining deals set for formal completion at a later date.
The six deals that have now formally completed are:
- London Spirit — Tech Titans (49%)
- Birmingham Phoenix — Knighthead Capital Management, LLC, on behalf of its investors (Knighthead) (49%)
- Manchester Originals — RPSG Group (70%)
- Northern Superchargers — Sun TV Network Limited (100%)
- Southern Brave — GMR Group (49%)
- Welsh Fire — Washington Freedom (50%)
The two deals which remain on track to formally complete later are:
- Oval Invincibles — Reliance Group (49%)
- Trent Rockets — Cain International & Ares Management (49%)
The Hundred is the first UK sports competition to secure franchise partnerships of this scale, drawing on world-class expertise from across global sport, media, technology, and finance. Collectively, the eight partnerships represent a valuation of the teams of over £975 million, with more than £500 million now set to be invested into the English and Welsh cricket ecosystem. This includes a dedicated £50 million commitment to grassroots cricket, ensuring the game continues to thrive at every level, with the remainder distributed to professional counties.
The Latham team was led by London corporate partner Farah O’Brien and entertainment, sports & media partners Patrick Mitchell and Rachael Astin, with associate James Richards.