Before stakes in the Hundred franchises were sold in February it was widely assumed that Welsh Fire would be the cheapest off the peg. Based in Cardiff, where bums on seats can be a challenge, and lacking Welsh representation on the field, they have been the butt of a few jokes during the tournament’s short history.
But for Sanjay Govil, an IT entrepreneur and the owner of Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket (MLC), the appeal of “one team, one country” was too great, likewise the “chemistry” during talks with the top brass at Glamorgan. Though he was on a plane when the auction took place, he secured a 49% stake in Welsh Fire, later raised to 50%, that valued the team at £84.6m, more than Trent Rockets or Birmingham Phoenix.
As Govil outlines his vision for Welsh Fire the most eyebrow-raising remark arguably comes when discussing the future of the Hundred at large and whether, like a number of observers, he believes the 100-ball format is simply one too many for an overstuffed sport.
“I absolutely see it the same way,” he says. “The Hundred should at some point follow the T20 format because you already have one-day cricket, you have T20, you have Test cricket, right? And just having one more variation, which is off from any other strategy … from a longer-term perspective it would just be better as a T20. But that is something for the future. And [the counties] already have a T20 tournament.”
Govil is reluctant to call himself an owner just yet, with the new model not kicking in until 2026 and investors still to sign the contracts with the England and Wales Cricket Board. The delay, he says, comes down to the number of lawyers involved, even if the sticking points reportedly centre on broadcast money, sponsorship and representation on the Hundred’s governing body.
This impasse is expected to be resolved soon, after which Govil, a tech magnate who made his fortune founding Infinite Computer Solutions in the US will formally become a major player in English cricket. Born in Canada and raised in India, Govil says that alongside a love of Test cricket – plus India’s era-defining World Cup win in 1983 – he grew up following county cricket scores in the newspapers. “Being associated with the Hundred is a dream come true,” he says.
This investment in Welsh Fire is a passion project, it appears, but Govil stresses that passion has always underpinned his work. As for the lack of Welsh players in the two squads – and the fact that the last England men’s player produced by Glamorgan was Simon Jones more than 20 years ago – he says he has “not given it much thought” due to his focus on getting the deal done. More broadly, he prefers to leave the cricket to the coaching staff and take a “back seat”.
That said, as the owner of Washington Freedom, a team coached by Ricky Ponting and featuring Steve Smith, Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell during last year’s title win, the vision for the men’s team is clear. In time Govil wants to marry up the two “WF” franchises – the initials are a happy coincidence, he says – and secure players to feature in tournaments that currently run back-to-back.
“Smith is playing for Welsh Fire this summer, so that is the first player from Washington Freedom,” says Govil. “We have tremendous talent in our [Washington] team and they have expressed great interest in playing in the Hundred. With MLC and the Hundred so close to each other, we have an opportunity to sign up players for multi-league. It is important to build local talent also but these things don’t change overnight.”
The notion of tournament-hopping players flags the broader direction of travel for the sport and as a self-professed Test cricket lover one would assume Govil to have concerns. There are only 12 months in a year and the squeeze created by the franchise world’s tractor beam means something will have to give. “Cricket might go the way of football in Europe, where they play for the clubs but then play for the country when required,” he says. “There is still going to be Test cricket, but maybe – again, I’m just thinking through it – it is played just three months a year in two blocks of six weeks. Then X amount of time for the IPL, MLC, the Hundred etc. And not all players overlap. But I see the calendars evolving.”
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As well as the broader plan, what comes across is just how collegiate the Hundred team owners are despite four coming from established Indian Premier League teams and four relative newcomers. They are rivals, clearly, but Govil says they are also “a family” who happily offered him guidance when first setting up his MLC team. It makes sense. A rising tide lifts all boats.
It will be interesting to discover whether Govil’s view on the 100-ball format is shared by others; whether they have simply bought stakes in English cricket and plan to shape what this means at a later date. Another question is whether TV rights for the Hundred will be sold separately in future. The current deal has the English summer bundled up as one product and means Test cricket – still the No 1 format in the UK – could even be subsidising the thing that threatens to strangle it.
“You will only know if they are split up, right?” says Govil. “I am a very firm believer in the market determining your price. And so I believe the TV contract should be separate. Or we’re guessing. Maybe it is correct that Test cricket is subsidising the Hundred. But maybe it is the other way around. The TV money [from Sky] went up when the Hundred came in, no? But I like objectivity. Everything should be simple.”
A laudable sentiment – although when it comes to the Hundred, a tournament that has split opinions and looks likely to change, simplicity has been a rarity.
