The board of Sun TV Network has approved the acquisition of a 100% equity stake in Northern Superchargers, a franchise in The Hundred, a professional cricket league operated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Valued at £100.5 million, the deal marks the Chennai-based broadcaster’s entry into the UK sports market. The board approved the acquisition at its meeting on July 18. Once completed, Northern Superchargers will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun TV.

“We are enhancing our global footprint in sports and are investing in a club that is part of The Hundred, a limited-overs cricket league promoted by the England and Wales Cricket Board, the equivalent of the BCCI in the UK,” said R. Ravi, Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, in a regulatory filing. “The foreign entity we are acquiring, Northern Superchargers Limited, is already profitable, and we believe that with growing global interest, The Hundred is poised for greater financial success.”
Incorporated in May 2019 and based in London, Northern Superchargers reported a turnover of £1.89 million in FY24. The franchise is one of eight teams in The Hundred, a 100-ball cricket competition introduced by the ECB in 2021.

Sun TV currently owns two cricket franchises: Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20 League. The company said the acquisition is part of its broader strategy to expand its presence in international sports.

The investment will be made under the Reserve Bank of India’s automatic route for overseas acquisitions and will be executed through authorised banking channels. The transaction is expected to close by December 31, 2025.
Through the sale of stakes in all eight franchises of The Hundred, the ECB and several participating counties have attracted prominent investors from India, the US, and Silicon Valley.
In addition to Sun TV, other major investments in The Hundred include Reliance, which acquired 49% of Oval Invincibles for £60 million; GMR Group, which bought 49% of Southern Brave for £48 million; and RPSG Group, which secured a 70% stake in Manchester Originals.

A Silicon Valley consortium comprising Times Internet Vice Chairman Satyan Gajwani, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen acquired 49% of London Spirit for £145 million.

The Hundred is a professional 100-ball cricket competition launched by the ECB in 2021. The format is designed to make it more fast-paced and accessible to a wider audience, especially younger viewers and families.