'A marriage made in heaven' - Tech Billionaire Sanjay Govil on Welsh Fire acquisition

Washington DC based Indian American tech tycoon Sanjay Govil is all set to acquire a large chunk of minority stake in Welsh Fire in The Hundred competition. Govil is set to acquire 49% stake for 33 million pounds after his winning bid valued the franchise at 67.5 million pounds. This is Govil's second major cricketing acquisition in his two year foray in the cricket world after launching the Washington Freedom in the MLC.

Govil's Welsh Fire acquisition appears to be a calculated business move given that it likely will turn out to be the most affordable franchise to acquire while still benefiting from an evenly divided broadcast revenue. With three franchise bidding wars to go, the team valuations have ranged from Welsh Fire's 67.5 million pounds to London Spirit's 295 million pounds.

However Govil claims that there is more to it than just pure business dynamics. "It is not your usual arranged marriage. It began with dating, followed by engagement and then marriage!(laughs)" said Govil. It is the human touch at Glamorgan he claims that struck a chord with him. "They are really nice people. I felt a real chemistry. The way the chairman Mark Rhydderch and the rest of his group followed up on our plans, I felt they really wanted us. They took the pains to come visit me in London during Christmas time during my last visit in England. Very warm and very supportive. It was always our first choice"

Govil credits Glamorgan legend and veteran broadcaster Alan Wilkins for getting the ball rolling with the county. Wilkins met Govil during his commentary stint at the inaugural edition of the MLC in 2023. "He wittily remarked Fire meets Freedom. Which resonated well with me. Our initials match too. Washington Freedom is WF and so is Welsh Fire. Welsh Fire was also our captain Steve Smith's first Hundred franchise."

Govil sounded optimistic when being quizzed about Washington Freedom's head coach Ricky Ponting's involvement with the Welsh Fire. "Possible. Why not? Why not Travis Head? Why not Steve Smith or even Andries Gous? Why not other Freedom players at Fire and why not Fire players at the Freedom? I consider all my players and coaches as a family."

English cricket raised some alarm bells after a galaxy of international stars prioritized MLC over the Hundred amidst overlapping schedules. However Govil's vision of bringing synergies between his MLC and Hundred teams and the added presence of a few MLC franchise owners at the Hundred may finally mean an end to the uncertainty around distinct windows for both the leagues.

"One of the reasons we were interested in the Hundred was it was back-to-back after the MLC. It gives our players an opportunity to play back-to-back in two tournaments. The idea is to plan out the schedule that way especially with MI being there and along with a bunch of other MLC guys. I can go to a player and tell him I'll sign you for X dollars here and X dollars over there within a couple of months. Building those synergies do help."

While Govil did manage to acquire 49% equity in the Welsh Fire franchise that the ECB decided to disinvest from, there is a high possibility the exclusive negotiations that he and Glamorgan are set to enter into may further enable a controlling stake for Govil in the franchise. He is counting on their 'chemistry' to be a decisive factor in firming up the ownership ledger of the franchise.

"Each investor is expected to work with their respective counties to come up with their ownership percentages. There are counties who want to sell 100%, 70% or even 50%. What you are seeing in the press is 49% because that is what the ECB is selling. But that doesn't mean that is the end of it. We will do what is in the best interest of the team and club. That is where chemistry is critical"

Govil grew up in Delhi before moving to the US to build his tech empire. He is the chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions (a tech consulting firm) and Zyter (a health tech firm).