MCC and the Tech Titans have officially completed the acquisition of London Spirit from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), marking a transformative moment for The Hundred competition and the wider English cricket landscape.
The ECB has transferred equity in the London Spirit franchise as follows:
51% stake gifted to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
49% stake sold to Cricket Investor Holdings Limited (CIHL), also known as the Tech Titans, via an auction held on 31 January
The transaction has now reached full completion. MCC and the Tech Titans will take operational control of London Spirit starting 1 October 2025.
Historic moment unlocks over £500 million for English cricket
This is the final franchise sale in The Hundred, with all eight deals now completed. Collectively, the transactions have generated over £500 million in new funding for the game, with the London Spirit deal alone accounting for more than half of the total. These funds will be distributed across professional counties and the grassroots cricket ecosystem.
Nikesh Arora (CEO/Chairman, Palo Alto Networks) led negotiations for the Tech Titans. The ECB expressed its gratitude for Arora’s leadership and noted the positive relationship that has developed between MCC and the Tech Titans.
New London Spirit Board to guide the future
A new London Spirit Board is being established. MCC will nominate four directors, including the Board Chair, and the Tech Titans will nominate three. Confirmed appointments include:
Julian Metherell – Board Chair (MCC)
Robert Lawson – CEO, MCC and Board Director
Eoin Morgan – Former England captain and London Spirit captain
The fourth MCC nominee will be announced soon. The Tech Titans will be represented by Nikesh Arora, Egon Durban (Co-CEO, Silver Lake), and Satyan Gajwani (Vice Chairman, Times Internet; Co-founder of Major League Cricket).
Robert Lawson said: “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.”
Tech Titans bring global vision to Lord’s
Nikesh Arora and Egon Durban issued a joint statement:
“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.”
Players welcome the next chapter
London Spirit Women’s captain Charlie Dean shared her excitement for the future:
“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.”
