A landmark £144 million deal for a 49% stake in the London Spirit franchise is nearing completion, with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) chief executive Rob Lawson confirming the high-profile sale involving a consortium of U.S. tech leaders is just weeks away from being finalized.
London Spirit deal “completely on track” despite delays
Initially expected to be part of a broader batch of transactions across The Hundred’s eight franchises, the London Spirit deal—featuring tech executives from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Adobe—was delayed past its original timeline. However, Lawson insists progress is on course.
“Completely on track,” he said as reported by CityAM, while acknowledging, “Obviously the timetable isn’t the original one that was set,” and adding, “But I don’t think anyone really expected everything to be achieved by whatever date was set.”
The transaction will see the consortium take a minority share in both the men’s and women’s teams of the London Spirit, who are owned by MCC and based at Lord’s. It’s part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) wider plan to attract significant external investment into The Hundred, with a mix of 49% and 100% stake deals being negotiated across other franchises.
Franchises such as the Oval Invincibles—linked to Surrey County Cricket Club—and stakeholders like the Ambani family are also reportedly still in talks. But most of the deals are believed to be close to conclusion.
“Dealing with the tech titans, we haven’t got any substantial issues left,” Lawson confirmed. “Those issues [remaining] are dependent on the tech titans tying everything up with the ECB.”
