Yorkshire Cleared by Cricket Regulator Over £1.75m Payment to Chief Executive's Firm

Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been cleared by the Cricket Regulator over a £1.75m payment made to a company controlled by its own chief executive, Sanjay Patel, closing an investigation that had hung over the county since June.

The regulator concluded there was no evidence Yorkshire's actions breached ECB regulations, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation, and no charges were issued. Chair Colin Graves announced the case had been dropped at a members' forum in Scarborough on Thursday and confirmed the news by email to supporters on Friday, writing that the regulator found payments were "made through satisfactory governance processes and decision-making structures" The Guardian.

The payment went to SMP73 Ltd, a company controlled by Patel, for what Yorkshire's 2025 accounts describe as "corporate broker services in connection with the sale of Northern Superchargers Limited." The Northern Superchargers are one of eight franchises in The Hundred — cricket's 100-ball-per-side competition — and Yorkshire sold the team outright to the Sun Group for £100m. Yorkshire was the only host county to sell 100% of its franchise; most others retained a 51% stake.

The Guardian first revealed in June that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was reviewing the consultancy fee. The matter was then referred to the Cricket Regulator, the body that polices the sport's rules, for a formal investigation. An MP had also written to the regulator urging it to look into the payment Yorkshire Post.

Graves defended the arrangement in his email to supporters. He said the board engaged Patel through SMP73 because of his knowledge of The Hundred and his cricket network, agreeing a performance-related commission payable only if the sale exceeded an ambitious target. That target was met, and the sale cleared Yorkshire's debts.

Patel's role in the transaction predates his formal appointment as chief executive in October 2025. He was named interim chief executive in September 2024 and was heavily involved in the Superchargers sale before and during the Hundred auction in February 2025. Before joining Yorkshire, Patel was one of the architects of The Hundred itself, working alongside Graves when Graves was ECB chair. In 2022, Patel was among a small group of ECB executives who received bonuses totalling £2.1m.

The broader Hundred sale raised £520m for the sport by selling stakes ranging from 49% to 100% to external investors. The ECB engaged the US bank Raine Group to find investors and run the auction, with Raine receiving roughly £12m in commission.

The ECB is understood to remain unimpressed by the size of Patel's fee, particularly given that Raine was already handling the investment process. The governing body declined to comment.

For Yorkshire, the outcome draws a line under a matter that had invited scrutiny of the county's governance at a time when its finances had been under strain. The £100m Superchargers sale wiped out the club's debt, and the regulator has now accepted that the route to that outcome — however unusual the arrangement — followed proper process.

The regulator's decision means no further action is required, and the matter is closed.