To attract Indian fans, the English Board is going to change the format of its domestic cricket league. Not only this, ECB is also going to sell the stake of its league teams. Because England wants to make its hold among Indian fans. According to sources, the English Board is starting the process of selling 49% stake in its teams from next month. ECB expects investment from IPL franchises. ECB is so desperate for Indian investment that at the behest of investors, it is also ready to change the format of the tournament from 100 balls to regular T20 in the year 2028. The English Board will give privileges to Indian investors, so that IPL teams can also change the name of their stake teams. English teams are also eager to join hands with Indian franchises. Along with ECB, the teams of The Hundred League are also looking towards Indian franchises. Lancashire Club wants IPL teams to invest in its team Manchester Originals. According to the club’s owner Daniel Gidney, ‘They would like to work with the IPL team in the future.’ Lancashire has also spoken to the Lucknow Super Giants team. Gidney said that he saw the power of Indian cricket in the India-Pakistan match in the 2019 World Cup. He says, ‘Then I saw that there was no space for private jets at Manchester Airport. The room rates in our hotel (Lancashire Club’s Hilton Hotel) had gone up to more than Rs 3 lakh. There was amazing noise on the field. This does not happen even in Manchester United matches. Then we understood that we have a huge market in front of us and India will be at the center of our strategy to move forward.’ When we joined Jio TV, 25 lakh viewers increased
After identifying the potential in the Indian market, Lancashire invested in its broadcasting infrastructure. It started broadcasting the matches by installing 7 cameras and shared the broadcasting rights in India with Jio TV. This gave Lancashire 25 lakh new viewers. Since then, Lancashire Club has been looking for opportunities to connect with the Indian audience. The league team London Spirit associated with the country’s capital is considered to be the most attractive for investment and Mumbai Indians owner Ambani can invest in it. There is a possibility that the London team will enter the field next year under the name of Indian franchise MI London. GMR Group will improve the debt-ridden Hampshire club. Another county club Hampshire is also getting help from Indian cricket. The club has a debt of about Rs 625 crore. GMR Group, a partner of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, is going to buy this club for about Rs 1200 crore. ?There is also talk of Rajasthan Royals buying the Yorkshire club and slowly the Indian franchise is establishing its dominance in the English cricket circuit.?
