Photo Credit: ECB
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred, is to leave the ECB after the conclusion of the competition this year.
Sanjay has led the creation and launch of the new competition, which has attracted attendances of more than 1m over the first two years. It has attracted more families, women and children to cricket, with 22% of tickets going to children last year and 28% of female ticket buyers, and more than 14m tuning in to watch on TV.
The competition has generated over £100m of revenue in its first two years and looks set for a successful third year as well, with 275,000 tickets already sold. It has won a number of awards including Event of the Year in the 2022 Sport Industry Awards as well as claiming the Fan Engagement Award at this year’s ceremony.
He joined the ECB in 2015 as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer before adding responsibility for the new competition in 2018. It has been his sole focus since January 2019.
In his previous commercial role, Sanjay helped deliver a media rights partnership with Sky and the BBC aimed at widening engagement with cricket and concluding several record-breaking deals with new partners. He also oversaw significant growth in the ECB’s digital and marketing channels.
Sanjay Patel said: “I would like to thank Sky, the BBC, and all our commercial partners for their support.
“I would also particularly like to thank my whole team for their hard work and dedication in launching the competition. I will always be grateful for their support and friendship. We have come a long way in a short space of time and it is down to their brilliance.
“I will miss this job and the people immensely but once we’ve completed the third season of The Hundred I believe the time will be right for me to look for a new adventure.”
Sanjay will continue in his role until the end of this year’s competition.
Richard Gould, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’d like to thank Sanjay for all his work and dedication at the ECB over many years, and wish him the very best for the future.
“There’s no doubt that The Hundred has been a success, helping cricket reach new audiences, bringing in important revenue and propelling the game forwards. It plays an important role in our game and I’m looking forward to a very long and successful future for The Hundred.”
