Several Hundred franchises have rebranded following the league's first year under private investment, with new owners pursuing bold marketing strategies to reach audiences in cities dominated by football. Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds are among the teams to have changed names and kit colours this season, replacing the Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers respectively.
Manchester Super Giants distributed nearly 30,000 free team shirts to fans with ticket purchases, a decision that meant forgoing a potentially lucrative initial kit deal. Daniel Gidney, chief executive of Lancashire and board member of MSG, told BBC Sport that major promotional efforts are necessary for launching new brands in competitive markets. The franchise decided to prioritize building brand visibility and securing more valuable supplier deals in future years, with Lancashire retaining roughly 50 percent of merchandise arrangements with MSG.
London Spirit, backed by a consortium of tech billionaires in a £145m investment, kept blue and black kit colours while adding red and yellow stripes from Marylebone Cricket Club. The franchise exhausted its replica shirt supply earmarked for both 2026 and 2027, with MCC members attending Hundred fixtures doubling from the previous year. Overall crowd numbers and ticket sales across the competition were marginally down compared with last year, though tournament director Vikram Banerjee said the competition had undergone a transformation in operational scale.
The rebranding has produced mixed results on fan loyalty. Oval Invincibles, known for a distinctive mint green colour scheme and sustained success, became MI London with a generic blue kit matching other Mumbai Indians franchises. The transition has been complicated at certain venues where previous franchise loyalty ran deep.
New ownership has drawn younger demographics to the tournament. Glamorgan reported that 46 percent of ticket buyers at Sophia Gardens were new to the venue, 30 percent were female, and 46 percent were family tickets. Lancashire's Gidney said converting these new attendees to watch county competitions and the County Championship remained a goal. The tournament has also expanded its television reach in India, moving from exclusive streaming on FanCode to prominent placement on JioStar.
