Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has agreed to buy a 49 per cent stake in Hundred franchise Trent Rockets, becoming the latest foreign investor in the 100-ball-a-side cricket competition.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have reportedly been beaten to the acquisition of a team in England’s The Hundred franchise league by Chelsea Football Club co-owner Todd Boehly. Real estate firm Cain International – which was co-founded by Todd Boehly and Chelsea director Jonathan Goldstein – have acquired a 49 per cent stake of The Hundred side Trent Rockets.
As per a report, Trent Rockets was acquired by Boehly and co. for a fee of around 39 million Great British Pounds (approx. Rs 420 crore). A Cricbuzz report added that the franchise’s valuation was GBP 79 million. The report also states that Indian investor Amit Jain was in the running in conjunction with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly buys stake in Trent Rockets in The Hundred 2025
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, KKR and Amit Jain were beaten to the stake by Cain International, who were earlier in the race for the acquisition of fellow Hundred side London Spirit.
KKR are owned by Red Chilies Entertainment, a conglomerate established by actor Shah Rukh Khan, as well as by businessman Jay Mehta and actor Juhi Chawla.
Had KKR won the bid for Trent Rockets, it would’ve added to the likes of KKR, Trinbago Knight Riders, LA Knight Riders and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders under the same ownership.
The Hundred has already seen IPL ownership take over two of the franchises. Mumbai Indians’ owners, Reliance Industries, bought a 49 per cent stake in Oval Invincibles with a valuation reported at around 60 million GBP. Lucknow Super Giants owners RPSG Group bought a similar stake in Manchester Originals, whose valuation is reported at around 116 million GBP.
Delhi Capitals co-owners GMR Group are also likely to acquire a stake in Southern Brave, the report states. However, KKR will not be joining them, as it stands. Cain International will become one of four non-IPL owners with stakes in a Hundred team.
Based in Nottingham, Trent Rockets represent the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. The men’s team of Trent Rockets won The Hundred tournament in 2022, while also finishing third the year before. The women’s team have a best finish of third, also in 2022.
The Rockets featured some well known cricket stars such as Joe Root, Alex Hales and Rovman Powell in the 2024 season. The likes of Ashleigh Gardner and Nat Sciver-Brunt star for the women’s team.
The investment further extends Todd Boehly’s empire in the world of sports. The 51-year-old American billionaire led a consortium named BlueCo that took over Chelsea in 2022 from Ukrainian businessman Roman Abramovich. BlueCo have since also taken over French Ligue 1 side RC Strasbourg. Chelsea sit fourth in the ongoing 2024-25 Premier League season, while Strasbourg are ninth in Ligue 1. Todd Boehly also co-owns Major League Baseball (MLB) team Los Angeles Dodgers
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has completed the acquisition of the The Hundred franchise Trent Rockets. The US-based owner, who leads the BlueCo consortium, managed to acquire a 49 percent share of the franchise.
Trent Rockets are one of the eight teams to have won championships in the Men’s competition. The team, consisting of stars like Joe Root and Rashid Khan, won their first and only title so far in 2022. Their women’s team, led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, registered a best finish of third place in the same season.
The BlueCo consortium, alongside other investors Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjorg Wyss, managed to outbid three other bidders, with one of them believed to be an IPL franchise.
The Trent Bridge-based franchise has been valued at £79 million, with Boehly spending £39 million for minority shares. This guarantees Todd Boehly the ownership of the men’s as well as the women’s franchises.
Todd Boehly is currently the principal owner of the Premier League club Chelsea. The American shelled out £4.25 billion and took over from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. He also co-owns Strasbourg in Ligue 1 (France) and LA Dodgers in the MLB.
With this, seven out of eight franchises in The Hundred have been sold to foreign investors. It is believed that Southern Brave will be up for grabs in the auction come Wednesday with the GMR group, owners of Hampshire County, being the strong favorites. The winning bidder will own 100% of the shares, contrary to the minority shares owned by the other seven franchises.