Manchester Originals: Hundred franchise set for name change says Sanjiv Goenka

1
Manchester Originals will incorporate 'Super Giants' into their name for future seasons of The Hundred, says the Indian billionaire who controls the franchise.

Sanjiv Goenka's RPSG Group paid £80m for a 70% stake in the team based at Old Trafford.

He is the owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Lucknow Super Giants and SA20 side Durban Super Giants in South Africa, and revealed the Manchester team will now be brought into line with his other franchises.

In an exclusive interview, Goenka told BBC Sport: "You will see a name change, and we will definitely bring in the Super Giants into this."

"That is something that we're trying to integrate, Super Giants into all our franchises."

Manchester Originals are the first of the eight privatised Hundred teams to confirm such a change since the ECB invited investment into the teams, with others expected to follow suit.

This week the American investors in the Lords-based London Spirit said they would retain their current name.

One of India's richest tycoons, Goenka suggested the rebranding will happen in October, with officials understood to be considering Manchester Super Giants or Manchester Originals Super Giants.

In a further sign of the influence the new investors will now have over the tournament's future, he said the team's current black kit and identity could also undergo an overhaul, adding: "We'd like to have an integrated colour palette for all our cricket franchises."

With Originals stars Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen also signed up to his Durban franchise, Goenka revealed that he would like as many players as possible to represent each of his three cricket teams.

"We would definitely want that but with the IPL it's an auction system and therefore it's not always the simplest thing to do.

"[However], we would definitely strive towards that because it brings a greater bonding, it brings a greater continuity, it brings a greater understanding."

Click here to read article

Related Articles