The Napoli Knights, a team in the recently established Italy T10 League that will debut in Rome next month, have announced James Anderson as a co-owner.
The league was established by Apex T10 Limited, a business owned by former Essex and Surrey batter Nadeem Shahid, and is set to run from November 18 to November 29.
James Anderson has been announced as co-owner of the Napoli Knights
The league confirmed on Tuesday, October 27, that Activate Sport and Leisure, a British talent management company, would run the Napoli Knights team. Together with Luke Sutton, the former Lancashire wicketkeeper who leads Activate and oversaw Anderson for a number of years prior to his career, Anderson assumes co-ownership.
The announcement comes soon after Lancashire announced that Anderson would not be receiving a contract offer for the upcoming season. Anderson was notified of the decision last week by Paul Farbrace, the new director of cricket at Lancashire. In an Instagram post, Anderson expressed his feelings, sparking rumors that the decision to split up was not mutually agreed upon.
Given his well-known distaste for short-format cricket, Anderson’s decision to become a franchise owner is surprising. He only occasionally played short-form cricket during his lengthy career, and last year he claimed to have “hated every minute” of his brief time in the Hundred with Manchester Originals. Anderson has talked positively about his new position despite this past.
I’ve benefited greatly from cricket throughout my career, so I’m thrilled about the chance to participate in the game in an entirely new way. “It’s especially special to be taking on this new challenge together because Luke and I have a close history,” Anderson stated in a press release.
Anderson continued by describing the Italia T10 as an intriguing idea, stating that there was a big chance to increase cricket’s visibility in Italy, assemble elite players, and produce a fun competition. He went on to say that although the Napoli Knights would strive to be competitive and contend for the championship, the overall objective was to support something that would continue to expand long after the competition was over.
Being the owners of Napoli Knights, we are ecstatic to be a part of the Italia T10. Jimmy and I see this as a great chance to be a part of something new and ambitious, and to help grow the game in an emerging cricket nation, since we have spent so much of our lives playing cricket,” Sutton continued in the release.
In recent years, cricket’s popularity has steadily increased in Italy. Earlier this year, the men’s national team made its debut at the T20 World Cup and defeated Nepal by ten wickets in a group match. Wayne Madsen of Derbyshire and Harry Manenti, an all-rounder from Australia, are two of the team’s many foreign-born players with Italian ancestry who have served as captains.
Beyond the Napoli Knights franchise, the Italia T10 League has drawn significant investment. The Rome franchise has been acquired by the owners of the Pakistan Super League team Quetta Gladiators; other league investors include businessmen from Pakistan and India. According to the league, its goals are to engage Italian audiences, present talent, and provide entertaining cricket.
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Although it’s still unclear if Anderson will look for a playing contract with another county for 2027, a number of sources claim that the 44-year-old, who took 50 wickets in 11 Division Two games in 2026, has several suitors. He has been establishing himself in the media for a number of years, frequently appearing on the Tailenders podcast and serving as a pundit for the BBC. After retiring from international competition two years ago, he also briefly served as a coach for England.
