Exclusive: India players from IPL close to Hundred cricket inclusion
Senior figures in English cricket are confident that India will release current men’s internationals to play in the Hundred as soon as next year.
India’s governing body the BCCI has not permitted their male stars to play in overseas T20 competitions, maintaining their exclusivity to the Indian Premier League.
But with four of the eight Hundred teams set to sell stakes to IPL owners, Morning Wire understands there is a growing belief that the likes of Virat Kohli will be permitted to play in the 100-ball-per-side tournament.
The potential availability of Indian players was discussed last week at a meeting between counties at Lord’s, with subcontinental players potentially involved more heavily in the Hundred within one or two seasons.
The BCCI has been less strict about women’s internationals playing abroad, although all-rounder Deepti Sharma is the only Indian player in this year’s Hundred.
Hundred teams in negotiations
The 27-year-old will represent London Spirit, who are the subject of an offer from a consortium of tech leaders including executives from Microsoft, Google and Adobe.
Oval Invincibles are set to see investment from Mumbai Indians owners the Ambani family, whose IPL squad includes the likes of Rohit Sharma, England’s Will Jacks – who plays at the Oval side – and Jasprit Bumrah.
Southern Brave have been purchased by GMR Group, who also own the team’s host county, Hampshire. Their Delhi Capitals team includes the likes of KL Rahul, as well as England captain Harry Brook and Australian Mitchell Starc.
Manchester Originals host county Lancashire have sold a 70 per cent stake in their franchise to the owners of Lucknow Super Giants. RPSG Group’s IPL side boasts Rishabh Pant on their roster.
Northern Superchargers sold 100 per cent of their franchise to Sunrisers Hyderabad owners Sun Group. Their sister team includes Mohammed Shami as well as overseas stars such as Australian Adam Zampa and England’s Brydon Carse.
Indian stars would help grow the Hundred in overseas markets, and expose the franchises to commercial opportunities abroad. Attracting more interest from Indian cricket fans is seen as key to achieving punchy financial projections.
Though there has been some reported resistance to open the Hundred to the Indian player market, Morning Wire understands that the discussions at Lord’s were far from negative.