Vik Banerjee: The Hundred vs IPL? "We Need the Best Players to Compete"

Vikram is the Director of Business Operations at the England & Wales Cricket Board and is the man in charge of selling stakes in The Hundred franchises. Vikram was a professional cricketer before taking up his position at the ECB, playing short and long form cricket around the world.

In this episode we talk about:

1. Background Take us through the background of your playing career Playing both short and long form cricket; the mechanics of both from a players perspective What is it like to be a professional player in England? Run us through the commitments, lifestyle etc.

2. Transition to the executive/ECB The move from the pitch to the boardroom. Transferable skills, manufacturing opportunity, applying your knowledge of the game to governance and development. What does your ECB role entail, both across The Hundred and the wider strategic projects you’re involved with? What are the biggest opportunities/challenges you have to deal with from a governance perspective when looking at the future of the game?

3. The Hundred Origins (changing the game) Why was The Hundred created? What are the key objectives? What was the value in developing a new format rather than adapting the older formats? Main challenges you had to overcome when changing the fundamentals of cricket? Rules, regulations, fandom…? Cricket’s catch-22: balancing tradition and history with innovation and development How do you navigate this? An opportunity to further elevate the women’s game, how important was the formation of a dual competition to the proposition? Relationship and value to the counties. Were there any difficulties in convincing the county system? (clashes with the Blast etc.) What were the negotiations like over players, staff, investment? How do the counties benefit? Equal distribution? The calendar: How does this all fit in? Is it too much cricket? Recruitment - what was it like pitching to the players?

4. Media and sponsorships Negotiating the media deals with Sky and the BBC - packaging and distributing the competition with the best partners. Commercialising a new sporting competition: KP Snacks - unique deal. How did that come about and what are you looking for from partners who get involved in the tournament? Is the sell different when it is a new entity? How much is centralised and how much is in the hands of the franchises? Can franchises do deals outside of the ECB?

5. Franchise Investment 49% of each team will now be up for sale to private investors, why now? What are the requirements you are looking for in potential investors? You say that 2025 onwards will feel different. What changes are you hoping for? What benefit, other than the upfront income, will there be for the ECB and the county teams? Expansion franchises? How are you approaching this?

6. Cricket as a whole A running theme throughout, the development of a global calendar to facilitate the number of competitions? How do you protect the integrity of Test cricket while maximising the demand for franchise cricket? How do you see the next few years unfolding? What other projects are you/the ECB working on to continue to deliver the best environment for cricket to thrive?