Rugby needs its Premier League to step up and take control, Raine says Sport Business Merchant bank Raine Group has warned that professional rugby is not big enough for “five or six leagues” and that it is “time for someone to put the hammer down” and become the sport’s equivalent to the Premier League. Rugby union has been going through a crisis of late, with different leagues using different structures [...]
Two T20 franchises to merge as external investment nears Sport Business The two Australian Big Bash franchises based in Melbourne are to merge as private equity interest in the T20 league intensifies. The eight Big Bash teams are ripe for overseas picking amid a global interest in cricket driven by the United States and India, though not all Australian states voted in favour of selling up [...]
Big Bash League set for split as states reject Hundred-style sell-off Sport Business Cricket Australia will explore a partial sell-off of the Big Bash League after objections from some states forced it to shelve plans to seek investors in all eight teams. Queensland Cricket joined NSW Cricket in opposing proposals to copy the England and Wales Cricket Board’s sale of 49 per cent stakes in The Hundred franchises. [...]
Tottenham chiefs lobby Uefa to increase Champions League squad size January 28, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur are lobbying Uefa to increase Champions League squad sizes after Thomas Frank was forced to drop Mathys Tel for the second time this season. Tel, who joined the club in a £30m deal last summer, was cut from Tottenham’s squad before last week’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund to enable Dominic Solanke’s return [...]
SA20 future in doubt as Big Bash sale process squeezes cricket investment January 7, 2026 The SA20 franchise tournament is facing an uncertain financial future amid the threat of fresh competition for funding from Cricket Australia’s Big Bash, which is preparing to sell off stakes in its franchises to private investors later this year. All six SA20 franchises are owned by Indian Premier League teams, many of whom have expressed [...]
Why private capital could make this the last Ashes series as we know them December 18, 2025 This is likely to be the last Ashes as we know it; but not because England might finally win a series down in Australia, or because the format is suddenly about to change. By the time the iconic bilateral series returns for its 75th iteration in 2027, it will be against the backdrop of a [...]