The Hundred’s Northern Superchargers Renamed as Sunrisers Leeds

The Northern Superchargers have officially been renamed Sunrisers Leeds after a £100 million takeover by the Chennai-based Sun Group, one of India’s largest media conglomerates.

The rebranding marks one of 3 expected name changes in The Hundred ahead of the 2026 season. The Sun Group now holds 100% ownership of the Leeds-based franchise after purchasing Yorkshire’s 51% stake and acquiring the remaining 49% from the England and Wales Cricket Board, The ECB.

Documents filed with Companies House (UK) confirm the discontinuation of the Superchargers name. The new identity, Sunrisers Leeds, aligns the team with Sun Group’s other global cricket brands, Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20 league.

Two other Hundred teams are also set for name changes, as all the 8 teams now come under private ownership. The Manchester Originals will become Manchester Super Giants under the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, while the Oval Invincibles will be renamed MI London once Reliance Industries Limited’s minority investment is finalised. 

Yorkshire chief executive Sanjay Patel had earlier confirmed that proceeds from the sale would help address the club’s long-standing financial struggles.

“The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years here, and we can start looking towards a very bright future,” Patel said.

The Superchargers’ women’s team lifted the Hundred 2025 title after defeating Southern Brave in the final at Lord’s while the men’s team was eliminated in the eliminator round. The men will now return next season under both a new name and a new head coach, with Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Daniel Vettori reportedly linked to replace Andrew Flintoff.

In related news, the ECB recently announced major structural changes to The Hundred, replacing the draft system with a player auction (similar to the IPL auction) starting next season. The auction will take place in March 2026. The player salaries will see a substantial increase and each team will be allowed one additional overseas player to attract global stars. The Hundred 2026 season will start from July 21, 2026 until August 16, 2026.