The launch of The Hundred was postponed until 2021 last week due to the Covid-19 pandemic
07 May, 2020
PHOTO: PSL
Multan Sultans' co-owner Ali Tareen, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo, is keen to invest in England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) new flagship tournament, The Hundred.
The launch of The Hundred was postponed until 2021 last week as the Covid-19 pandemic forced the ECB to put the 100-ball competition on hold.
The franchise-based league, including an American sports-style draft and featuring eight teams with names such as London Spirit, Southern Brave, Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets, was scheduled to run from mid-July to September.
Initially, ECB were not open to private investment in the tournament, but the financial fallout due to the coronavirus pandemic might change their plans as CEO Tom Harrison recently indicated towards "looking at some of those opportunities"
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Tareen, based in Hampshire for almost a decade, wants a stake in Southern Brave, but would prefer the counties to ultimately have the majority of control over the team.
"I'm a Hampshire boy who loves Hampshire cricket," said Tareen. "I see it as a way to benefit the counties, so they get more money. If someone with no connections owns a side, they wouldn't give a hoot about counties. Someone like me, who's an actual Hampshire fan, sees the real attraction of external investment as my opportunity to help Hampshire."
"There shouldn't be a case where the teams are sold fully to a random owner. I've heard of problems occurring at the CPL when owners haven't been vetted, as well as the Global T20 in Canada. The ECB cannot afford to have issues like these happen to their league. What I suggest is they find people not to own and run teams, but to contribute financially to them because they care about a team or have connections to that area. I get that most owners would want to control a side, but this isn't about that," he added.
Apart from Tareen, Kolkata Knight Riders are also keen to explore opportunities to invest in the competition if the opportunity became available.
