MCC President and cricket commentator Mark Nicholas, who is set to take over as the club’s chairman in October, revealed that five Indian Premier League franchises have expressed their interest in acquiring a stake in London Spirit. The Lord’s based team competes in The Hundred tournament, played in England. Nicholas announced the plans for the World Cricket Connects symposium.
The event is scheduled for July 5 and is organised by the MCC to bring together influential figures. With this initiative, names like BCCI secretary Jay Shah, India head coach Rahul Dravid, England’s Ben Stokes, and Test team coach Brendon McCullum will come together on a single platform.
The ECB has planned to privatise the tournament with the eight host teams being offered 51% of stakes while the remaining 49% will be sold to private investors. Nicholas told ESPNcricinfo, “What we are putting to a vote is to accept the ECB’s offer of a 51% share of this franchise. We will always be a members’ club. The first target is membership harmony [because] as a member you are entitled to a view.“
He added, “It’s very easy to knock people back because they’re difficult, but actually there is quite a lot of good thinking that comes out of activism. You have to treat people with respect, and hear their view.” The cricket commentator said, “The Hundred has given us another opportunity. The [MCC] membership quite likes being part of the chat, not being consigned to a piece of history. The members I talk to really love the idea of having a team, love the opportunity that it brings. There will be a financial opportunity, either in growth of the equity or in sale of the equity.”