The fifth edition of The Hundred could very well be the last time this format is followed, as a change in the future seems imminent with new overseas investors coming in to buy stakes.
Manchester, Northern & Oval Set for IPL-Backed Rebranding in The Hundred
The ECB is expecting at least three teams to undergo rebranding, with Manchester Originals likely to align with Lucknow Super Giants, Northern Superchargers set to join hands with Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Oval Invincibles expected to become the newest addition to the Mumbai Indians franchise family..
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Recent reports suggest that Manchester Originals have already undergone rebranding as Manchester Super Giants, with the official statement expected soon after Sanjiv Goenka completed acquiring the majority stake.
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Vikram Banerjee Hints at Format Overhaul as The Hundred Eyes T20 Future
Meanwhile, Vikram Banerjee, Managing Director of The Hundred, hinted at big changes ahead, saying it wouldn’t make sense to bring in top investors and leave things unchanged. While the core of The Hundred will stay intact, the goal is to “supercharge” the tournament with fresh ideas and innovation. A switch to T20 is on the table, though for now, the current format stays.
“You want to see innovation and growth in new things. Other people will have great ideas, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they are.
“(Moving to T20) is one of the things that will be discussed. At the moment, it’s the Hundred format and that will remain for now, but let’s see where we get to in the long term,” Vikram Banerjee said.
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Hundred Champion, Not Vitality Blast Team, to Play in CLT20 - ECB
However, Richard Gould of the ECB was very clear in his statement that they will be sending the winner of The Hundred to the World Club Championship and won’t consider sending a team from the Vitality Blast, which is the traditional T20-format domestic competition in England.
“There might be some pushback, but that’s a debate to be had. If there’s a Champions League format, it would be a Hundred team going forward. Of course, we’d want to be involved at the earliest opportunity,” he said.
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