Breaking boundaries: Supporting Sun Group’s acquisition of Northern Superchargers
In July 2025, our Corporate Sports team – led by Partner, Keir Gordon and Legal Director, Tom Smitham – closed a deal on behalf of Sun Group, one of India’s largest media conglomerates, for its acquisition of The Hundred cricket team, Northern Superchargers.
The Hundred is a 100-ball per innings cricket tournament, which was established in 2021 by The England & Wales Cricket Board (the ECB). Northern Superchargers is one of eight teams participating in The Hundred and is based at Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s ground, Headingley, in Leeds.
Sun Group currently owns Indian Premier League team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and SA20 team, Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
In May 2024, the ECB announced it was looking to obtain private investment into each of the eight teams and appointed The Raine Group – known for its advisory role on some of the world's biggest sports deals – and Deloitte to kick off a competitive auction process.
Our Firm had worked with Oakwell Sports Advisory, a dedicated corporate finance and strategic consultancy boutique, when we acted for the International Tennis Federation on its joint venture with Billie Jean King Enterprises and TWG Global for the creation of the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023. Thanks to that connection, we were introduced to Sun Group in August 2024 and were subsequently appointed to support on the transaction.
A staggered auction process began in December 2024, and bidders including Sun Group faced various hurdles during the transaction including an umbrella participation agreement over how the competition would be run following a sale. The club’s ground at Headingley was also subject to onerous and long-running commercial agreements with suppliers related to food and beverage and kits, which complicated negotiations.
There has been continued interest in UK sports by international investors, particularly those in the US. With increased activity in football – as we’ve seen with Wrexham and the Ryan Reynolds effect – it’s now shifting to other sports as well.”
Sun Group was successful in its bid for Northern Superchargers and closed the deal to buy the team in its totality on 23 July 2025, expanding its Sunrisers franchise into the UK cricket market.
Our Commercial team, led by Partner, Richard Davis were involved heavily in the negotiations, which also involved the expertise of our Corporate, Corporate Tax, Employment, Immigration, and Data Protection and Privacy teams.
The Charles Russell Speechlys team, ably led by Keir Gordon, has been an admirable source of support right through this transaction, handling the assignment with competence, speed and prudence, while keeping client interests as their foremost objective.”
SL Narayanan, Group CFO at Sun Group
We are extremely proud to have supported Sun Group and their Corporate Finance Advisors, Oakwell Sports Advisory, on this seminal acquisition. The transaction highlights the continued interest in UK sports by international investors, as well as the current excitement around cricket and The Hundred, and the tournament’s potential for long-term success.”
2025 Corporate Sports team deal highlights:
- Advising the founder of the London City Lionesses, the only independent women’s football club in England’s top two professional leagues, on the sale of the club to an American businesswoman.
- Advising Portas Consulting Group on its sale to a leading global sports consultancy.
- Hudl’s acquisition of Statsbomb – leading sports data analytics platform.
- COSU FC Limited on its acquisition of Southend United Football Club.
- Advising Mikheil Lomtadze on his acquisition of Feliciana EFL Limited, the holding company of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club
- Advising Hussain AlSaeed on his acquisition of a 55% interest in Dwane Sports Limited (the holding company of Bristol Rovers) and, subsequently, on his acquisition of the remaining 45% of Dwane Sports.
- ITF Licensing (UK) Limited on its joint venture with Billie Jean King Enterprises and TWG Global to create a new business model and elevate the Billie Jean King Cup.
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