The Manchester Super Giants (MSG) have secured their inaugural title in The Hundred following a significant investment and rebranding by the RPSG group, led by Indian billionaire Sanjiv Goenka. The franchise, formerly known as the Manchester Originals, adopted new colors and a logo after Goenka's group acquired a 70% stake.
Lancashire's chief executive Daniel Gidney, who also sits on the MSG board, emphasized the necessity of a bold approach to establish a new brand in a market heavily dominated by football. "If you're trying to launch a new brand in a new market, in the UK particularly, in a city that is dominated by football, you've got to go big and loud," Gidney stated.
A key marketing initiative involved distributing nearly 30,000 free shirts to fans who purchased tickets. Gidney described this as an "extraordinarily different" move, often prevented by kit manufacturers concerned about sales of high-priced merchandise. The decision to forego immediate revenue from kit sales this season was a strategic choice to build the MSG brand and fan engagement, with the expectation of securing more lucrative supplier deals in the future.
This new ownership model also offers broader benefits to Lancashire cricket. While the county's merchandise remains available at Old Trafford, insights gained from MSG's operations are being considered for integration into the T20 Blast competition. Lancashire has retained approximately 50% of merchandise arrangements with MSG, using the franchise as a testing ground for new strategies.
The Super Giants' on-field success, including their championship win and a £275,000 prize, was achieved despite losing captain Aiden Markram mid-season. Jos Buttler effectively stepped into the leadership role. The appointment of Tom Moody as director of cricket also proved strategic, given his prior success with the Oval Invincibles, who had won three consecutive titles. Justin Langer, who also coaches Goenka's Indian Premier League team, the Lucknow Super Giants, was hired as coach for the current season.
The women's side also showed promise, narrowly missing a knockout stage berth, and may retain legendary former Australia captain Meg Lanning in a coaching role. The franchise now aims to leverage its championship momentum to attract and retain new fans in the coming seasons.