ECB Considers Giving IPL Franchises Stakes In The Hundred

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could reportedly offer Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises a stake in the teams participating in the Hundred. The Hundred is an upcoming tournament set to occur in a new 100-ball format and the ECB could provide a stake to IPL franchises to lure India’s marquee players into the competition. The inaugural edition is scheduled to commence on the 21st of July 2021.

According to the Telegraph, the England Cricket Board (ECB) is also contemplating giving BCCI a stake in the Asian television rights based on the number of Indian players partaking in the tournament. Reportedly, the talks between BCCI and ECB moved a level up when ECB chairman Ian Watmore and chief executive Tom Harrison were in Ahmedabad for the pink-ball Test last month.

It has also emerged that Indian players could be made part of the Women’s Hundred edition, paving the men to partake the season after that. The concerned stakeholders and officials will meet further when India visits England later this year. The Hundred was supposed to start in 2020; however, the ECB had to postpone it due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Virat Kohli gives his views on the Hundred format:

Indian captain Virat Kohli spoke about today’s demanding cricket schedule due to which the commercial aspect of cricket takes over the real quality. The 32-year old revealed he does not want to be a testing cricketer – one who stays part of the World XI and arrives to launch the 100-ball format.

“I’m already very… I wouldn’t say frustrated but sometimes it can get very demanding of you when you have to play so much cricket regularly. I feel somewhere the commercial aspect is taking over the real quality of cricket and that hurts me. I don’t want to be a testing sort of a cricketer for any new format. I don’t want to be someone who’s going to be part of that World XI who comes and launches the 100-ball format,” Virat stated during India’s tour of England in 2018.

Also Read: It’s Just A Factory: Sanjay Bangar On Team India’s Talent Pool