Google CEO ピチャイ、Microsoft CEO ナデラ、ハンドレッド クリケット フランチャイズへの 8 億 4 千万ルピーの入札に参加

In a groundbreaking move, a group of Indian-origin tech leaders from Silicon Valley are bidding for stakes in two popular London-based cricket teams. This high-profile consortium is reportedly interested in acquiring a share of either the Oval Invincibles or London Spirit, both teams competing in The Hundred, one of the most premier franchise tournaments across the globe. Part of this consortium are Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, the CEOs of Alphabet (Google) and Microsoft, respectively.

Tech giants eye the Hundred?

The bidding group is led by Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, along with Satyan Gajwani, vice chairman of Times Internet Ltd. They are joined by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc.; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe; and Egon Durban, co-CEO of Silver Lake Management. Together, the consortium has placed a bid of over £80 million ($97 million) for a stake in one of the London teams. This equals to a whopping 844 crore in Indian Rupee.

Indian tech leaders have already made contributions to cricket’s growth in the U.S., with investments in Major League Cricket. Satya Nadella is the co-owner of Seattle Orcas team in the MLC. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched The Hundred in 2021, aiming to simplify cricket rules and boost attendance. You have 5 balls in an over, with a team getting just 100 balls per innings. Over 2 million fans have attended the matches across eight venues in England and Wales since its inception.