The Northern Superchargers have officially been renamed Sunrisers Leeds ahead of The Hundred 2026 season. The change comes after the franchise was acquired by the Sun Group, a global media conglomerate that also owns Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20 league. This marks another step in the group’s growing presence in franchise cricket across the world.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the rebranding was part of the Sun Group’s effort to bring all their teams under one unified identity — the “Sunrisers” brand. The company announced the name change to both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), following proper SEBI regulations. The franchise will continue to be based in Leeds and will represent the Yorkshire region in The Hundred.
Before the final decision, two names were under consideration — Sunrisers Leeds and Northern Super Sunrisers. After several rounds of discussions, the group settled on the former, which keeps the franchise’s regional connection while aligning with the Sunrisers’ global cricket identity. The team’s colors and logo are also expected to be revamped before the start of the new season.
Apart from the Leeds-based franchise, two other teams in The Hundred are also expected to undergo name changes. The Manchester Originals, which are part-owned by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, are likely to be renamed Manchester Super Giants, following the same branding as the IPL’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). This move continues the trend of IPL owners expanding their footprint into other franchise leagues.
Oval Invincibles Set for MI London
Similarly, the Oval Invincibles, the most successful team in The Hundred’s history, are expected to be rebranded as MI London. The change follows Reliance Industries Limited’s acquisition of a stake in the franchise in 2024. The move aligns with Reliance’s global “MI” brand, which includes MI Cape Town, MI Emirates, MI New York, and Mumbai Indians in both the IPL and WPL.
The Oval Invincibles has been the best team in the league since its formation as they have won five titles in both the men and women group. The rebranding will also help them to enhance their world recognition without losing their legacy on the field.
In the interim, The Hundred is as well to be restructured in a large-scale way. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) intends to adopt an auction-type system of player recruitment starting with the 2026 season. This was done in consultation with all the eight franchises, Professional Cricketers Association and the Working Group on The Hundred. Each team will consist of 16-18 players, and four foreign stars can be included in a team, which will bring the league format closer to the rest of the major franchise tournaments such as the IPL.
