Chelsea, Manchester United, LSG, CSK & MI in contention to own stake in London Spirit franchise

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is reported to be interested in owning a stake in the London Spirit franchise in The Hundred. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are looking for private ownership of 49% of each franchise and there’s an option to extend as well but the owners will have to deal with the county clubs that hold the remaining 51% of the shares.

As per reports, Boehli is backing a bid spearheaded by Jonathan Goldstein, a British property entrepreneur to own stakes in the London-based franchise. In 2022, he bought Chelsea Football Club for $5.6 billion alongside Behdad Eghabli, the founder of Clearlake Capital. However, the duo is said to be having a rift and are looking to buy out each other’s shares.

Sky Sports has reported that Manchester United co-owners, Glazer family, Lucknow Super Giants co-owner Sanjiv Goenka, Chennai Super Kings and the Ambani Family, which owns the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL are also interested in owning the London franchise, which is also the most valuable team in the competition. 

It is expected to fetch the highest price of all the eight teams and all the interested parties understand that and have submitted their bids accordingly. 

Gujarat Titans owners interested in Oval Invincibles

CVC Capitals, the owners of Gujarat Titans in the IPL are looking for the stakes at Oval Invincibles. They are well known for their investments in the sporting world and with Oval, they are ready to show further commitment to helping cricket grow as a major sport all around the globe. Interestingly, apart from Oval, CVC has also submitted bids for two other franchises in the league.

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Meanwhile, a total of 35 bids are said to have been shortlisted for all eight teams. ECB hasn’t shared the details of the same but it is believed that a total of 15 investors have submitted bids. Meanwhile, each team is valued at at least $600 million.