Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been cleared of charges by the Cricket Regulator following a formal investigation into a £1.75m payment. The payment was made to SMP73 Ltd, a company controlled by the club's chief executive, Sanjay Patel, for work on the sale of the Northern Superchargers Hundred franchise.
The investigation, which stemmed from a review by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed in June, concluded that the payments were made through satisfactory governance processes and decision-making structures. Colin Graves, the Yorkshire chair, confirmed the case was dropped without charges at a members' forum on Thursday and in an email to supporters on Friday, stating, "This matter is now closed."
The consultancy fee related to the £100m sale of the Superchargers to the Sun Group last year. Yorkshire's 2025 accounts showed SMP73 Ltd received the commission for "corporate broker services in connection with the sale of Northern Superchargers Limited." Graves explained that the club engaged Patel, through SMP73, due to his knowledge of The Hundred, agreeing to a performance-related commission that became payable after an ambitious target for the sale was exceeded.
A source with knowledge of the investigation indicated the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence that Yorkshire's actions breached ECB regulations. It is also understood that SMP73's work on the sale concluded before Patel's formal appointment as chief executive in October 2025, although he was involved with Yorkshire before and during the Hundred auction in February 2025 as interim chief executive from September 2024.