Lancashire in talks with IPL franchises over stakes in Manchester Originals

The England and Wales Cricket Board had previously called Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises over claiming a stake in the Hundred teams. The ECB had proposed the teams occupy a substantial share in each of eight franchises of the league. Owing to the developments, Lancashire has shown interest in partnering with some IPL franchises to run the Manchester Originals team as partners from 2025.

The club has ample fervour in Indian cricketing circuits with star players like Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, and Venkatesh Iyer signing as overseas players is on. Moreover, the club has been involved in both touring men's and women's teams from India for pre-season tours. The friendly games with teams associated with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchises have been an active affair.

Also Read: Broadcasters for 2024 WCPL confirmed

"Our preference is a partner who will partner with us on cricket, who can really help us grow our cricket, and clearly we have a strong interest in India. We'd love to work with an IPL team, of course, because of the opportunities that would bring - both for us and for them… our pathway is the best in the country, and so is our medical staff,” said the franchise chief executive, Daniel Gidney as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

If you want an ego and to pay a lot of money, then London is your gig: Gidney

IPL franchises need to keep in mind that London Spirit and Oval Invincibles are the most expensive domains as the sale goes live. They are followed by Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. It is worth noting that the ECB had cleared upfront that the majority of the stakes will remain with the board as it does not want the total right over the league to slip away. 

Also Read: Adam Gilchrist picks his all-time favourite wicketkeeper-batters

"As I've said to different people from that part of the world, the first round is being run by the ECB, so you need to get your number up. If you want an ego and to pay a lot of money, then London is your gig. There'll be loads of people that want London, but there's only two teams, and one of those only wants a passive investor, so it narrows your choice down. Outside of that, I said to people: 'If you want cheap, we are not it. If you want the best value, we are it,” the CEO added.