There is great news for Indian fans. Indian Premier League franchises may soon make their presence felt in England as Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) chairman Mark Nicholas has revealed that five IPL franchises have expressed interest in acquiring a stake in London Spirit. London Spirit is one of the eight teams competing in The Hundred.

“What we are voting for is to accept the ECB's offer of a 51% stake in this franchise. We will always be a members' club. The first goal is membership harmony (because) as a member you are entitled to a view. It's very easy to push people away because it's difficult, but there's actually a lot of good thinking that comes from being proactive. You have to treat people with respect and listen to their views,” Nicholls said.

We missed out on T20 in 2003 where we could have achieved it, Nicholas added. “India thought faster than us (on the IPL) and were smarter than us, as India often is. India moves at a special pace to make things work. So The Hundred has given us another opportunity. The (MCC) membership really likes being part of the chat, not being limited to a part of history. The members I talk to really like the idea of ​​building a team and like the opportunities that come with it. There will be financial opportunities either in equity raising or equity selling.”

IPL franchises are associated with several T20 leagues around the world. They have teams in the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket, ILT20 and SA20. And soon they may have their own teams in England too.