Northern Superchargers have been renamed ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ by their new owners, one of three anticipated name changes in the Hundred ahead of the 2026 season.The Sun Group, an Indian media conglomerate based in Chennai, completed a £100 million takeover of the Leeds-based franchise earlier this year. Yorkshire opted to sell their 51% stake in the Superchargers on top of the ECB’s 49%, meaning that the Sun Group owns 100% of the company’s shares.The new owners have now filed documents to Companies House in the UK, which confirm that the Superchargers name will be discontinued. The new name ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ falls in line with their other franchise brands: Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa’s SA20.
Two further name changes are anticipated in the Hundred, with the league’s eight teams now under private ownership. Manchester Originals are set to become Manchester Super Giants, after Lancashire’s deal with the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group. Oval Invincibles, meanwhile, are expected to be renamed MI London when Reliance Industries Limited’s minority investment is finalised.Sanjay Patel, Yorkshire’s chief executive, earlier this year said that the club would use the proceeds from the sale to start clearing their significant debts. “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.Superchargers’ women won the Hundred this year, beating Southern Brave in the final at Lord’s, while their men were knocked out in the eliminator. The men will return under a new head coach as well as a new name next year, with Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori linked with the vacancy opened up by Andrew Flintoff’s departure.The ECB announced last week that the Hundred will move from a draft system to a player auction for recruitment from next year, with a substantial increase in salaries and an extra overseas player per side, both designed to boost star power. The 2026 season is expected to run from July 21 to August 16.
