The co-owners of Chelsea and Manchester United football clubs are among a quartet of finalists vying to buy a major stake in the Hundred London Spirit franchise.
Sky News has learned that a vehicle controlled by Chelsea shareholder Todd Boehly and members of the Manchester United-owned Glazer family has been shortlisted to acquire 49% of the Lord's-based team from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The other two shortlisted bidders are a consortium of technology company owners and financiers that includes the heads of Google and Microsoft; and RPSG Group, owner of Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super Giants.
People close to the process said on Thursday that four bidders would be asked to submit sealed bids for the ECB stake next week, with the ECB expected to choose the highest bid.
The London Spirit franchise is expected to be valued at around £140m, meaning the revenue to be received and distributed by the ECB would be approximately £70m, the insiders added.
The identities of the shortlisted sides mean India's Ambani family, owners of IPL team Mumbai Indians, are not in the running to buy a Lord's-based outfit.
Instead, Mumbai Indians owners are seeking bids for the Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals, according to insiders.
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Shortlists for some of the eight hundred franchises were said to have fewer than four bidders, although the process was complicated by the presence of some parties in several processes.
The owners of Lucknow Super Giants, for example, were reportedly in the hunt for four of the eight teams.
In total, the ECB indicated it could receive around £350m for its 49% stake in the eight teams.
The host counties are also allowed to sell their 51 percent shares, although some have said they do not intend to do so.
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The MCC, which controls the London Spirit franchise, has no intention of divesting its stake at this time, according to cricket insiders.
Sky News revealed earlier this month that a consortium of tech bosses are also in the running for the Oval Invincibles, and are expected to be shortlisted in the process.
CVC Capital Partners, a buyout firm that has made a number of sports investments, has also made a bid for the Oval-based team.
Investors will only be allowed to own a stake in one of the eight teams, which also include the Welsh Fire, Southern Braves and Northern Superchargers.
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A windfall of higher-than-expected revenue from the process could offer a financial lifeline to a number of cash-strapped counties, with some of the revenue likely to be used to pay down debt.
However, concerns were expressed that the windfall from the Hundred auction will not bring a significant improvement in the long-term financial sustainability of the counties.
The outcome of the Hundred auction is likely to intensify other questions about the future of cricket, as the Test format of the game struggles for international commercial relevance against shorter-length competition.
The Hundred auction is being run by bankers from the Raine Group, the same firm that has overseen the sale of large stakes in Manchester United and Chelsea in recent years.
An MCC spokesman declined to comment, while none of the bidders was contacted Sky News would comment.
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