Yorkshire County Cricket Club have sold their stake in Hundred team Northern Superchargers as part of a £100 million deal. The county, which has faced significant financial difficulties in recent years, is the only club to have sold their entire stake in a side.
The England and Wales Cricket Board previously owned all of the Hundred franchises but last year they gifted the eight host counties a 51% stake in their corresponding team, and they have now auctioned off the remaining 49% in in order to raise funds for the County game, as well as to support grassroots cricket in England and Wales.
Yorkshire are the only club to have sold their entire 51% stake at the first opportunity. Unlike other host counties, they will not retain a financial interest in the franchise, but they will receive 80% of the revenue raised from their sale, approximately £40.8 million. The club has faced financial difficulties in recent years, reportedly owing £15 million to chairman Colin Graves, who controversially suggested that Yorkshire may need to move to a private ownership model in order to survive. These plans were halted early this year, and it is hoped that this cash injection will steady the club.
Northern Superchargers, who play their home matches at Headingley stadium, have been bought by the Sun Group, owners of two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Sun Group also owns a franchise in South Africa, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who won the first two editions of the SA20 tournament in 2023 and 2024. Yorkshire and England star and Northern Superchargers captain Harry Brook has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Since its inception in 2007, the IPL has grown into one of the most lucrative sporting events in the world, valued at $16.4bn in a 2024 study by Houlihan Lokey. Four of the eight Hundred franchises have received investment from owners of IPL sides.
The Hundred began in 2021, with stated objectives to raise revenue for the English game as well as attracting a younger and more diverse fanbase to cricket matches. However, it has often faced backlash from fans of the County game.
Ned Holt, member of Yorkshire supporter’s association The Southern Group , said “I guess most of us feel that it is a fabricated competition introduced to make money. Furthermore its existence has butchered the county cricket calendar.
“However the money is there, as the recent auction shows. Yorkshire are in dire financial straits so the sale is welcomed cautiously.”
Yorkshire and the Sun Group have entered an eight-week exclusivity period to finalise the deal.
The Northern Superchargers men’s side have failed to reach the play-off stages in the first four editions of the tournament. The women’s side reached the final in 2023, losing to Southern Brave.