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According to a report, the name change will take place ahead of the start of the 2026 edition of the Hundred.
Oval Invincibles to be renamed as MI London. (Picture Credit: Instagram/@ovalinvincibles)
Oval Invincibles – the most successful team in The Hundred’s history (two titles each for the men’s and women’s teams) – will be renamed MI London. According to a report in The Telegraph on Thursday (August 21), “Oval Invincibles are expected to rebrand as MI London, the first choice of their Indian co-owners.”
As per the available information, the name change will take place ahead of the start of the sixth edition of The Hundred.
Apart from the Oval Invincibles, MI owners own the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Indian Women in the Women’s Premier League, MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC), MI Cape Town in SA20 and MI Emirates in International League T20 (ILT20).
The Hundred will undergo major changes next year when the new ownership model will formally take over. In the popular 100-balls-per-side tournament, the host venues running teams will operate alongside new investors, who have bought at least 49 per cent of each team.
Surrey are entering a partnership with the Ambanis, who bought 49% of Oval Invincibles in an auction which valued the franchise at £123m.
According to the report, “The name of the franchise from next year has been a contentious issue from the start and is not yet confirmed in writing. However, Telegraph Sport understands that it will be called MI London despite the wishes of Surrey, who initially wanted the county name incorporated into a rebranded Oval Invincibles.”
“From a brand perspective, I hope we can brand it as a Surrey-branded team and part of our cricket ecosystem,” chairman Oli Slipper was quoted as saying by Telegraph Sport in 2023.
The name change of Oval Invincibles to MI London next year will mean that the Hundred competition will have two teams with London in their name, as the Lord’s-based side are known as London Spirit.
Apart from Oval Invincibles, Manchester Originals will also change their name to Manchester Super Giants next year, and Northern Superchargers will have Sunrisers in their name. It has been reported that Sunrisers Leeds has been considered as an alternative to keeping “Northern”.
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