Keep Hundred free of England clash – Fire investor

Keeping The Hundred free of clashes with England internationals is vital to the success of the competition, according to Welsh Fire investor Sanjay Govil.

Govil, a billionaire American-Indian IT entrepreneur, has agreed to pay just over £40m for a 50% stake in the Fire.

While there would be an intention to keep a July-August window clear of international cricket, pinch points will arise because of the global calendar.

That would potentially put the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at odds with the eight investors who have pledged more than £500m to buy into the Hundred franchises.

“We want to put out the best product and the best players,” Govil told BBC Sport. “If they are playing Test cricket or something, we are not putting out the best product.”

Negotiations between investors and the ECB remain ongoing. Sales were agreed in February and an eight-week exclusivity period to complete the purchase was extended in March. None of the eight deals have yet been signed.

In a wide-ranging interview alongside Glamorgan chairman Mark Rhydderch-Roberts, Govil stated his preference for The Hundred to become a T20 competition and said there have been no discussions over aligning the branding of the Fire with Washington Freedom, the Major League Cricket Franchise he owns.

Rhydderch-Roberts, whose county have entered a 50-50 partnership with Govil in the ownership of the Fire, said he was “convinced” Indian male players will eventually appear in The Hundred.

Investors would want to keep The Hundred clear of internationals in order to maximise the competition’s revenue and exposure – an aim shared by the ECB.

But even if the intention is to avoid schedule clashes, other factors are at play, like the availability of opponents or global tournaments.

This is particularly problematic when cricket returns to the Olympics in 2028 and in 2030, when England hosts the men’s T20 World Cup.

In odd-numbered years, England host marquee five-Test series against Australia or India. These will continue to be held in June and July, before The Hundred.

Still, this year the fifth Test against India is not scheduled to end until the day before The Hundred begins, meaning some England players will miss out.

Captain Ben Stokes has already announced he will skip the entire competition. His Northern Superchargers were bought outright by the owners of Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Although the ECB has sold stakes in the Hundred teams, it has retained ownership of the competition itself, meaning the governing body will have final say on any change of format.

However, Govil said he and other investors have a preference to change from the 100-ball format, an outlier in terms of the global landscape, to the widely played 20-over game.

“The ones I have talked to, the answer is yes. Will it happen over time? I don’t know,” he said.

“My personal opinion, the answer is yes, but I’m a small piece in this. Cricket involves a lot of strategy. We already have Test, one-day and T20 cricket.”

With negotiations to complete the sales still continuing, it could be that they are signed before this season’s competition begins.

“I have no doubt it will be concluded,” said Govil. “When you have multiple teams, multiple sets of lawyers, negotiating with one entity, it’s a very, very complicated situation.

“I think we are very, very close. The ECB has done a fantastic job in terms of getting to where we are.”

Rhydderch-Roberts said the ECB had conceded ground in order to get the deals done.

One area of negotiation has been the sale of domestic TV rights for The Hundred, which will be offered up as part of a complete package for cricket in England and Wales when the current deal with Sky expires in 2028.

Rhydderch-Roberts clarified The Hundred TV rights will be “unbundled in due course”.

Govil added: “The fact The Hundred is a separate set of investors now, instead of doing some kind of revenue share, it’s good to have an objective view where the TV contract for The Hundred is separated out. That’s my personal position.”

Currently India’s male players are not permitted to play franchise leagues outside of the country. Female players appear in overseas leagues, including The Hundred.

In order to maximise overseas media rights, the presence of India’s stars is likely to be a key component. Owners of IPL franchises have had a growing influence across the globe, buying stakes in multiple franchises. Four Hundred teams are receiving investment from IPL owners.

“With the four IPL owners in The Hundred, I am absolutely convinced Indian players will be released for The Hundred in due course,” said Rhydderch-Roberts.

“The whole game can grow by this. I think media revenues will go ballistic. The pie is going to get a lot bigger and we intend to have a bigger share of it.”

Throughout the sale process, there was a perception that the Fire may have been unfashionable and would struggle to attract significant investment. Ultimately, it fetched a similar sum to Trent Rockets and Birmingham Phoenix.

“In the initial round of investor meetings there were 15 that had interest in Welsh Fire,” said Rhydderch-Roberts.

“We felt we have an undervalued brand, we represent a nation and we have a stadium that is ripe for much greater development. Cardiff is the event city in the UK after London. It’s the concentration of sport and entertainment that makes Cardiff incredibly interesting.

“Watch this space. For Glamorgan, this enables us to invest in cricket in Wales. We now have more resource to do that.

“Over time, Glamorgan and Welsh Fire can become more one.