Sun TV to Acquire UK Cricket Franchise Northern Superchargers for ₹1,161 Crore

Sun TV Network is making a high-profile play in global cricket. The company’s board has approved the acquisition of a 100% equity stake in Northern Superchargers Ltd., a franchise that competes in The Hundred, England’s short-format professional league.

The deal, valued at GBP 100.5 million (roughly ₹1,161 crore), gives Sun TV its first cricket franchise in the UK, adding to its existing presence in India’s IPL and South Africa’s SA20 league.

Northern Superchargers, based in Leeds, reported revenue of GBP 1.89 million (₹22 crore) in FY24 and is currently profitable. Despite its modest size, the franchise was acquired at a steep valuation of 53 times revenue, a premium Sun TV appears willing to pay to enter a top-tier cricket market.

The transaction is expected to close by December 31, 2025, pending regulatory and league approvals. With this move, Sun TV now owns three cricket franchises spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe, an increasingly rare cross-continental footprint in the T20 and short-format circuit.

The company already owns Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20, both part of the growing “Sunrisers” brand family. The latest acquisition adds another leg to that portfolio, reinforcing its strategic shift toward sports media and international expansion.

In a statement, Sun TV called The Hundred a “fast-growing league with strong upside potential,” and said the Superchargers acquisition fits into its long-term vision for scale in sports entertainment.

Sun TV Network isn’t new to big platforms. It’s already one of India’s largest media conglomerates, operating 37 television channels in seven languages, reaching more than 140 million households. Its content is distributed across 27 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, and Australia.

Beyond TV, the group runs a direct-to-home (DTH) service, owns 69 FM radio stations, and publishes three newspapers and six magazines. With this acquisition, it’s clear the network is now doubling down on live sports as a long-term global growth engine.

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