NFL icon Tom Brady’s business connections have extended to cricket, with Knighthead Capital Management LLC acquiring a stake in Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix. Knighthead placed a winning bid of £82 million on the opening day of the ECB’s sale of the eight franchises.
The bid, equivalent to the full valuation of the Phoenix franchise, means Knighthead will pay around £41 million for a 49% stake. While no official statements have been made by the ECB, Warwickshire (Phoenix’s host county), or Knighthead, the deal marks a significant investment in the short-form competition.
Brady, who has a business partnership with Knighthead, could bring a major commercial boost to the Hundred, attracting new fans to cricket. He is already involved in Birmingham sports through his minority ownership of Birmingham City FC, which Knighthead purchased in 2023. The investment group has since pledged over £2 billion toward a new “sports quarter” in the city, including plans for a new stadium.
The ECB used a sealed bid process to determine the franchise buyers, with only two investors shortlisted for Phoenix. CVC Capital was initially in the running, but it remains unclear whether they placed a bid.
In another high-profile acquisition, Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), owners of IPL giants Mumbai Indians, won a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles with a bid of £123 million. RIL outbid CVC Capital and a consortium of top tech executives from Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and others.
IPL Powerhouses Place Bids for Inclusion in ECB’s Hundred
RIL was also in discussions for Manchester Originals but ultimately secured the Invincibles, drawn by the franchise’s recent success in the men’s competition. The next step for the winning bidders involves finalizing agreements within eight weeks, including structuring payments either as lump sums or in installments over five years.
With Brady’s growing footprint in Birmingham and his global sports appeal, his involvement with Phoenix could provide the Hundred with a fresh marketing boost, further elevating cricket’s presence on the international stage.
