We are delighted to confirm that MCC and the Tech Titans have agreed and signed terms for the transmission of the London Spirit franchise from ECB.

ECB has now transferred equity in the London Spirit franchise as follows:

• a 51% stake to MCC, gifted to the Club from ECB; and

• a 49% stake to Cricket Investor Holdings Limited (CIHL, a consortium known as the Tech Titans), sold by ECB via an auction process which took place on 31 January.

The deal has reached full completion. MCC and the Tech Titans will take operational control of London Spirit on 1 October 2025. 

In a transformative moment for The Hundred and the future of cricket in England and Wales, this is the sale of one of eight franchises and all deals are now agreed and signed. The sale has unlocked more than £500m for the game, over half of which was reached from the sale of London Spirit alone. This will now be shared between professional counties and the grassroots game. 

We would also like to express our gratitude to Nikesh Arora (CEO/Chairman, Palo Alto Network), who has played the leading role in negotiations on behalf of his fellow Tech Titans. Our relationship with Nikesh and his colleagues has developed strongly and cordially. 

MCC and the Tech Titans are in the process of establishing a London Spirit Board which will comprise four directors nominated by the Club, including the Board Chair, and three by the Tech Titans. The MCC Committee has approved the appointments of Julian Metherell as London Spirit Board Chair, and of Robert Lawson (CEO, MCC) and Eoin Morgan (former England and London Spirit captain) as Board directors. We expect to confirm the appointment of the Club’s fourth nominee shortly. Arora, Egon Durban (Co-CEO, Silver Lake) and Satyan Gajwani (Vice Chairman, Times Internet; Co-founder of Major League Cricket) are nominated by the Tech Titans. 

Video courtesy of ECB

Lawson commented: “I am delighted that we have reached this historic moment for the Club. We have been building a really strong relationship with the Tech Titans and I am excited to see how our partnership develops in the coming years as we look to produce two winning London Spirit teams.” 

Arora and Durban said:  “We are extremely proud to be co-owners of London Spirit and the first external partner of Marylebone Cricket Club in their 238-year history. The heritage and history of MCC and Lord’s, plus the inclusive and family-first audience of London Spirit, is a winning combination. Our consortium brings decades of deep expertise in technology, sports, and media to accelerate growth and bring London Spirit, and its home venue Lord’s, to the more than 1 billion cricket fans globally.”

London Spirit Women’s captain Charlie Dean said: “This is such an exciting time for London Spirit and for English cricket as a whole. We have already created plenty of great memories on The Hundred match days at Lord’s over the past four years. I am really looking forward to taking the next step with MCC and the Tech Titans and I am sure that there will be more special moments in the future.”