European T20 Premier League: Is this cricket’s next growth market? September 16, 2025 When Italy’s men secured their historic qualification for next year’s T20 World Cup earlier this summer, the cheers reached all the way to India. Over in the subcontinent, a group backed by Bollywood royalty toasted the news as proof of their belief that European cricket is a largely untapped well of talent – and, more [...]
Joe Root piles pressure on cricket chiefs over Hundred format September 10, 2025 Joe Root has piled pressure on the England and Wales Cricket Board and the new Hundred owners to keep the competition’s format. While ECB bigwig Richard Thompson said the competition would remain 100 balls per innings, fewer than the 120 seen in Twenty20 competitions, the new franchise investors have been mulling a change to the [...]
Premier League still facing legal threat to financial rules despite Man City deal September 10, 2025 The Premier League is still facing another legal challenge to its financial regulations despite settling a long-running dispute with Manchester City over associated party transactions this week. Legal action remains pending from the Professional Footballers’ Association over the Premier League’s plans to introduce new squad cost ratio (SCR) rules next season, which would limit clubs [...]
Paqueta phone celebration raises eyebrows at FA as judgement looms September 3, 2025 The Football Association is expected to publish the independent commission’s full judgement in the acquittal of Lucas Paqueta on spot-fixing charges imminently, days after spotting a possible double meaning in his goal celebration during West Ham’s win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. After converting a penalty, the Brazilian mimed receiving a phone call and then [...]
The Hundred can be cricket’s equivalent of Wimbledon, says chief September 1, 2025 English cricket chiefs want to see The Hundred become its equivalent of Wimbledon as the franchise competition heads for the biggest changes in its short history. The Hundred board, comprising new investors, meets today to discuss next steps, with a change in financial distributions, commercial deals, team names and the titular format all on the [...]
Hundred sees 600,000 tickets sold with TV audiences up September 1, 2025 Organisers of The Hundred sold nearly 600,000 tickets for this year’s competition, with viewing figures also up for the fifth edition of the controversial cricket format. The Northern Superchargers beat the Southern Brave in the women’s final on Sunday in a match that drew 22,000 fans at Lord’s in north London. The subsequent men’s final [...]
Are franchise IPOs the end game for The Hundred’s £1bn investors? August 28, 2025 Have The Hundred’s investors figured out yet how they will make a return? Look out for minority stake sales and maybe even listings in India, says Ed Warner. Never make an investment without having a plan on how to sell it. Illiquidity can scupper the most enticing of propositions. The very best portfolio managers, especially [...]
Ahead of the Game: Fifa eyes Morocco over Spain as 2030 World Cup HQ August 27, 2025 Fifa is in advanced discussions about basing the headquarters of the 2030 World Cup in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The centenary World Cup will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with the opening three games to be held in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay in a nod to the competition’s roots. The 2026 World Cup [...]
Hundred: ECB under fire over opt-out data transfer cut-off date August 15, 2025 Hundred organiser the ECB has come under fire for forcing fans to opt-out of having their data transferred to new franchise owners. At least 49 per cent of each of the eight Hundred franchises have been sold to overseas investors, with some teams selling a majority shareholding. And with it, as is common with ownership [...]
Cricket’s dirty secret: Unpaid players, rogue officials and bad governance August 13, 2025 In many ways, these are heady days for cricket. A return to the Olympics in LA in 2028 promises to take a sport with pockets of fervent support to new audiences; The Hundred has shown the game’s appeal to deep-pocketed investors; and the recent series between England and India delivered thrills and spills in the [...]