Welsh Fire can be 'global brand' via 'landmark' deal

Welsh Fire can become a "global brand" with the help of IT entrepreneur Sanjay Govil after his "landmark" investment in The Hundred franchise.

Glamorgan formally announced on Tuesday they have entered into an exclusivity arrangement with Govil for a 50-50 split of the franchise after they reached agreement at an auction last week.

Govil is the owner of Major League Cricket franchise Washington Freedom and paid £40m for an equal stake in Welsh Fire, which was valued at £80m.

A statement from Welsh county said it was a "landmark moment" for the club and Govil's team will "grow the franchise's popularity with fans and players both locally and globally".

Indian-American Govil is the founder and chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions, who are based in Rockville, Maryland and have an annual revenue of $2bn with 20,000 employees globally.

The tech billionaire also owns Infinite and Zyter TruCare, one of the leading healthcare technology platforms with 43 million members.

Glamorgan chair Mark Rhydderch-Roberts said Govil was the "preferred bidder for some time" and believes the partnership will open commercial opportunities "on a different scale across the whole spectrum of Welsh Cricket".

"It was vitally important for us that any investment partner shared our values, our strategic and commercial aims and our ambition to grow as an international brand," Rhydderch-Roberts said.

"They share our belief that both Glamorgan and Welsh Fire have huge potential and that Welsh Fire, in particular, can become a global brand."

Govil added: "I'm thrilled for this next step forward in renewing and expanding cricket for the next generation of fans.

"I'm looking forward to the benefits our partnership will have not only for recreational cricket in the UK, but for strengthening the cross-border relationship between international teams, franchises, and fans for years to come."

Lawyers representing the two parties will negotiate contractual details over the next eight weeks.

Glamorgan said the "strength of the relationship" with Govil prompted them to increase the stake they initially planned to sell by 1% to ensure an equal ownership split.

Montreal-born Govil made his first foray into professional cricket franchise ownership with Freedom during the first season of MLC in 2023 with his son Avikar also actively involved in the day-to-day running of the team.

Freedom's chief executive is Dhiraj Malhotra, who previously held the same position at Delhi Capitals.

The DC-based franchise have a strategic partnership with Cricket New South Wales and have a strong Australian flavour to their set-up.

Coached by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, and captained by current Australia batter Steve Smith, Freedom won the 2024 edition of MLC.

In addition to Ponting and Smith, Freedom also had fellow Australians Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell, New Zealand pair Rachin Ravindra and Lockie Ferguson plus South Africa's Marco Jansen on their books.

A source at Freedom told BBC Sport Wales that Govil is optimistic of attracting players of a similar calibre to Fire, if commitments allow.

The ECB is retaining control of The Hundred competition, but has sold stakes in eight teams valued at £950m to provide a cash injection into the game.

From the total money raised, an allocation of 10% will go straight to the recreational game. Proceeds from the 49% sales will be divided between the 18 first-class counties and the MCC.