MCC have mentioned renaming London Spirit and having them play within the membership’s egg-and-bacon colors with their new Silicon Valley co-owners.
MCC will enter right into a joint-venture with Cricket Investor Holdings Restricted, a consortium of US-based entrepreneurs who’ve been dubbed the “Tech Titans”, to run the Lord’s-based Hundred franchise from 2026. They have been the very best bidders at a three-hour public sale on January 31, which ultimately valued London Spirit at £295 million, by far the very best of any of the eight Hundred groups.
The 2 events have been talking for a number of months and have prolonged these discussions over the previous two weeks throughout their interval of exclusivity. “We have already got an excellent understanding of our respective positions on many of the necessary issues which can govern our partnership,” Mark Nicholas, MCC’s chair, mentioned in a letter to members on Friday.
These have included discussions across the identify of the franchise and their royal-blue kits. “Each events have maintained an open thoughts on whether or not or to not proceed with the London Spirit identify,” Nicholas mentioned. Any adjustments to workforce names or kits wouldn’t happen till 2026, with this 12 months’s Hundred seen by the ECB as a transitional season.
“There are benefits in utilizing the identify of the membership, MCC; the identify of the bottom, Lord’s; and the identify of our dwelling metropolis, London; the latter could give us the best traction as we glance to develop the franchise and its model,” Nicholas mentioned.
“Workforce colors have additionally been the topic of dialogue and we’re leaning in the direction of utilizing MCC colors within the livery. On each identify and equipment, we’ll take choices alongside our new companions. It must be identified additionally that these choices will want ECB approval.”
Nikesh Arora, who’s main the consortium, has additionally hinted at a change of color scheme. “All choices will probably be taken within the pursuits of the franchise, collectively with our companions on the MCC,” Arora advised the BBC. “If the proper reply collectively is, ‘Hey, somewhat extra pink or somewhat extra yellow may make it extra thrilling’, then high quality: we’ll have somewhat extra pink and somewhat extra yellow.”
Nicholas reiterated MCC’s intention to retain their 51% stake within the franchise, and mentioned that 4 of the workforce’s seven board members can be MCC-appointed administrators, one in every of whom is more likely to be the chief govt.
