Yorkshire will face no further action over a £1.75 million (approx. US$2.4 million) consultancy payment made to a company controlled by Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Patel following the sale of Northern Superchargers, after the Cricket Regulator completed a formal investigation into the arrangement.
The investigation examined the payment to Patel’s SMP73 Ltd for work connected to Yorkshire’s £100 million (approx. US$136 million) sale of the Hundred franchise to Sun Group, according to a report by The Guardian’s Matt Hughes. The regulator found no evidence that Yorkshire had breached ECB regulations, bringing the scrutiny of the payment to an end.
Regulator closes investigation into Yorkshire payment
The £1.75 million commission had attracted scrutiny after appearing in Yorkshire’s 2025 accounts, which described SMP73’s role as providing corporate broker services in connection with the Northern Superchargers transaction.
Yorkshire Chair Colin Graves confirmed the outcome in an email to club members: “The Cricket Regulator completed a thorough investigation and has concluded that payments were made through satisfactory governance processes and decision-making structures and there is no further action required.”
Graves added: “This matter is now closed.”
SMP73 completed its work on the transaction before Patel’s formal appointment as Yorkshire Chief Executive Officer in October 2025. He had, however, already been involved with the county, becoming interim Chief Executive Officer in September 2024.
Commission was linked to Superchargers sale outcome
Yorkshire was the only host county to sell its entire Hundred franchise, rather than retaining a controlling stake, as reported previously by cricexec.
The structure of SMP73’s remuneration was tied to the value achieved through the transaction. Graves wrote: “As I explained to members yesterday, the Board engaged Sanjay, through SMP73, because of his unrivalled knowledge of The Hundred and network across cricket.”
The payment became due after the transaction surpassed a target established by Yorkshire. Graves continued: “We agreed a performance-related commission which would only become payable if he secured an outcome for the club in excess of an ambitious target set in relation to the sale of the Northern Superchargers. That target was exceeded, securing a transformational return for Yorkshire which enabled us to clear the club’s significant debt and put Yorkshire on a much stronger financial footing.”
Northern Superchargers deal reshaped Yorkshire’s finances
As previously reported by cricexec, Yorkshire received around £60 million (approx. US$81.6 million) from the £100 million (approx. US$136 million) Northern Superchargers transaction. Approximately £40 million (approx. US$54.4 million) came from selling the club’s 51% stake, with another £20 million (approx. US$27.2 million) generated through Yorkshire’s allocation from the ECB’s sale of the remaining 49%.
The proceeds arrived after a period of significant financial pressure at Headingley. Yorkshire subsequently repaid more than £25 million (approx. US$34 million) owed to the family trust of Graves, having previously faced severe cashflow difficulties.
Patel brought extensive Hundred experience to Yorkshire
Patel joined Yorkshire after nine years at the ECB, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer and was one of the executives involved in developing the Hundred. He later became the competition’s first Managing Director and held the position for almost five years from 2019.
The wider Hundred investment process raised £520 million (approx. US$707.2 million) through the sale of stakes ranging from 49% to 100% across the eight franchises. The ECB had appointed US investment bank Raine Group to oversee the investor search and auction, with Raine receiving approximately £12 million (approx. US$16.32 million) in commission.
With the Cricket Regulator concluding that Yorkshire’s actions did not warrant further regulatory action, the investigation into the £1.75 million (approx. US$2.38 million) SMP73 payment has now concluded without charges against the county.
