HAMPSHIRE Cricket's owners GMR Group – co-owners of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League – have secured a 49 per cent stake in Southern Brave from the ECB.

Having previously been gifted 51 per cent by the English and Welsh cricket board, this move means GMR Group will now take full control of Southern Brave.

Southern Brave became the last of eight franchises to be bought during the sale of Hundred teams with the combined valuation of the franchises reaching around £1billion.

GMR Group bought out former Hampshire owner Rod Bransgrove last year, becoming the first overseas owners of an English county.

Their bid at Wednesday's auction valued Southern Brave at £98million, with a 49 per cent stake in the club costing around £48million.

GMR Group already own stakes in T20 teams across the globe, including India's Delhi Capitals, United Arab Emirates' side Dubai Capitals and South Africa's Pretoria Capitals.

This deal has raised the number of Hundred teams acquired by Indian Premier League owners to four. 

Sun Group have acquired Northern Superchargers, RPSG Group have bought Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles have been taken over by Reliance.

Other teams have received investment from across the world: Birmingham Phoenix (Knighthead Capital), Welsh Fire (Sanjay Govil), London Spirit (Silicon Valley consortium) and Trent Rockets (Cain International).

Southern Brave reached the final of The Hundred last year but suffered a 17-run defeat to Oval Invincibles at Lord’s.

Adi Birrell, Hampshire head coach, has been appointed Southern Brave boss ahead of 2025 The Hundred season following Stephen Fleming's decision to step down.

Fleming had been head coach of the Southern Brave team for two seasons, having been appointed in December 2023.

Birrell guided the Hampshire Hawks to the Vitality Blast title in 2022, as Hampshire became only the second county to lift the trophy three times.

Southern Brave will start their Hundred campaign on Wednesday, August 6, with the men’s and women’s teams away to Manchester Originals.

The Utilita Bowl will play host for the first time on Sunday, August 10 when Brave take on Birmingham Phoenix.