How Mumbai Indians takeover has affected MI London & Surrey

ByAdwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist

The sanction has changed, the colours person changed and overmuch of the speech astir the franchise has changed too.

Investment from Indian Premier League (IPL) broadside Mumbai Indians into Oval Invincibles led to The Hundred's astir palmy squad rebranding itself arsenic MI London and bringing the multi-billionaire Ambani family's cricket empire to The Oval.

Here, BBC Sport takes a look astatine what has changed, what has stayed the aforesaid and what the aboriginal holds for the franchise.

Reliance Industries Limited, chaired by Mukesh Ambani, bought a 49% involvement successful Oval Invincibles successful a woody worthy astir £60m successful January 2025, among the archetypal merchantability of teams successful The Hundred.

However, Surrey main enforcement Steve Elworthy said their narration with India's wealthiest household began agelong earlier the bidding process got nether way.

"They've been immense supporters of The Hundred for a fig of years," the erstwhile South Africa cricketer told BBC Sport. "They utilized to instrumentality our boardroom container each August to ticker The Hundred erstwhile we were inactive Invincibles."

Early conversations convinced Elworthy and his squad they had recovered the close spouse successful the Ambanis.

"The archetypal gathering we had, we spent astir 45 minutes talking astir conscionable cricket," Elworthy said.

At astir £120m, MI London are the astir invaluable of the franchises aft their London neighbours - the Lord's-based London Spirit, who were valued astatine astir £300m.

For the investors, the attraction indispensable person been obvious.

The Oval is 1 of the world's astir recognisable sporting venues, Invincibles had won 5 titles crossed men's and women's competitions and Surrey regularly attracts immoderate of the highest attendances successful the region game.

"We bash cricket well," Elworthy said. "We've got an incredibly beardown membership, unthinkable attendances crossed formats and we are based successful London. It's a truly charismatic proposition."

As portion of the deal, Invincibles were rebranded MI London, bringing the franchise successful enactment with the remainder of the MI unchangeable that includes MI Cape Town, MI Emirates and MI New York.

But Surrey, who stay the large shareholder, were determined not to suffer their identity.

Elworthy added: "The quality of this concern is that the statement was signed successful precocious 2025 and we are halfway done our archetypal play together, but we haven't adjacent had to look astatine the declaration once.

"We're lone looking to marque this a occurrence together."

Not overmuch - astatine slightest for the players, according to England all-rounder Will Jacks.

"It felt similar a precise creaseless modulation for me, having a ft successful some camps," Jacks said, erstwhile asked astir the team's changed identity.

The 27-year-old came done the ranks astatine Surrey, was portion of Invincibles since its inception and besides plays for MI successful the IPL.

"The kit's changed evidently and it incorporates the bluish and golden of MI but the grooming kit inactive has the Invincibles colours, truthful it is benignant of a premix of the two," Jacks said.

"So I deliberation they've done a bully occupation of moulding the 2 together. But for america players and the coaching staff, everything feels precise similar."

Tom Moody, who guided Invincibles to a hat-trick of men's titles arsenic caput coach, has been replaced by Kieron Pollard, who antecedently played successful the IPL for MI arsenic good arsenic for their sister teams successful Major League Cricket, SA20 and ILT20.

Mitchell McClenaghan besides joined from the MI web arsenic the men's bowling manager but determination is inactive a beardown Surrey beingness successful the coaching unit with Gareth Batty, Jim Troughton and Nic Pothas playing salient roles.

It's a akin communicative with the women's broadside wherever Lisa Keightley, caller from coaching MI successful the Women's Premier League (WPL), succeeded Jonathan Batty but is joined by Surrey women's caput manager Johann Myburgh and Dan Helesfay.

Perhaps the biggest additions from the MI concern person travel successful the signifier of commercialized expertise and planetary reach.

"MI person got teams astir the satellite and concern astir the world, truthful that's thing we've learned from them," Elworthy said.

"The Hundred antecedently was beauteous local. Whereas now, I deliberation we've really got a planetary marque present and planetary partners now. That's a superb spot to be.

"All different teams MI person astir the world, they are the sole owners. But they're a number shareholder present but we don't behave similar that. We behave arsenic a squad to bash the champion for MI London."

Former Australia and England manager Keightley echoed Elworthy's words.

"I cognize MI person been precise mindful that for the archetypal time, they're moving with different organisation," Keightley said. "From my experience, some organisations are moving truly hard to marque it successful.

"MI's penetration from having truthful galore teams is decidedly helpful. I cognize however passionate the owners are and erstwhile they perpetrate to something, they bash everything to marque definite the team's successful."

For players, it besides offers a accidental to play for different franchises successful the MI web and thereby, turn their game.

"I've been precise lucky," Jacks said. "Playing with truthful galore large players and icons of Indian cricket astatine MI has opened maine up to a batch of caller things and skills. That experience, you can't bargain that."

Keightley added: "If you're a MI London player, there's decidedly an accidental to beryllium progressive successful WPL. Because you physique the relationship, you cognize what a subordinate tin bash and they cognize the situation that they're going into."

Their supporters mightiness inactive beryllium adjusting to the caller sanction and colours but Surrey and MI are already readying for the future.

One important portion of their plans volition beryllium turning MI London into a marque that exists year-round alternatively than for conscionable a fewer weeks each summer.

"You don't privation a contention that everybody lone thinks astir portion it's happening," Elworthy said. "It's our occupation to marque definite there's a rhythm each the mode done the year."

They besides program to instrumentality greater work for areas presently managed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Having completed the takeover lone months earlier the commencement of the season, they person relied connected ECB to present operational aspects, including ticketing.

But Elworthy said the nine are presently considering which services they privation to instrumentality in-house from 2027.

He said: "We privation to power and tally each the facets of the squad - the transportation of the game, the planetary enlargement and gathering the marque itself."

On the tract though, the ambition remains unchanged. After 5 titles successful arsenic galore years, MI London's absorption is connected producing much silverware-winning teams.

That whitethorn hap precise soon if their men's squad tin support the signifier which has seen them scope 2nd successful the array aft 5 matches.