CSK withdraw from The Hundred, four IPL franchises still in race

As per the latest developments surrounding The Hundred, Chennai Super Kings have made a decision to opt out of the race to acquire a franchise in the competition. Consequently, this leaves Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals in the hunt as far as the bidding process is concerned.

CSK’s Chief Executive Officer, Kasi Viswanathan, confirmed the decision in a recent statement. Viswanathan further mentioned the the formalities regarding the decision have also been undertaken and duly communicated with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“We’ve withdrawn, and we have formally informed the England and Wales Cricket Board about it,” stated Viswanathan, as quoted by Cricbuzz on Monday. 

As this week passes by, the ECB is anticipated to intake financial bids for each participating franchise of the 100-ball tournament. As per the same report, a process is being mapped out in such a way that if at all an interested party fails to bag a team, it can still be in the reckoning to own one of the teams remaining. For the unversed, the eight teams up for sale are Birmingham Phoenix, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire.

The same report states that the Reliance Group (owner of Mumbai Indians), Sanjiv Goenka of Lucknow Super Giants, and a group of Tech entrepreneurs have made a consortium. It is also understood that they are the favourites to end up with London Spirit and Oval Invincibles.

The owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Sun Group, are in the race to bag either of Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets. Once a Premier League side, Birmingham City, is said to be in consideration of interest in owning Birmingham Phoenix.

Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire could well be bought by the owner of Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket, Sanjay Govil. In the meanwhile, the owners of Manchester United, one of the most iconic sides of the Premier League, the Glazers, may be in the race to buy a franchise.

Also Read: MLC and The Hundred prevent schedule clash in 2025 to avoid losing out on overseas players

The final round of bidding and negotiations will most likely start on Friday, January 31. However, it has been learned that the fresh owners of will come into the picture only from the 2026 season. This is due to the completion of paperwork and other formalities, which will need a few months to reach completion. 

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