US tech entrepreneur Sanjay Govil interested in buying BBL franchise
New Delhi, Oct 17
US tech entrepreneur Sanjay Govil is looking to expand his ownership from the MLC and the Hundred as he is interested in purchasing a team in the Big Bash League.
Cricket Australia last month approved the privatisation of the BBL and opened the first phase of the sales process for the Melbourne Renegades. The CA and Cricket Victoria invited expressions of interest from potential buyers for a 100% purchase of the Renegades.
Govil, who co-owns the Welsh Fire in the Hundred and owns the Washington Freedom in the MLC, stated that he is "following the process and remains interested in the Renegades; it's on the radar. "
"But I think there are going to be a lot of big players who will be interested," Govil told Cricinfo. "I need to focus on what I am capable of doing. I don't want to get into a bidding war."
Meanwhile, he also has Hobart Hurricanes in his sights, a franchise where Ricky Ponting is head of strategy and is also Freedom's head coach for the last three seasons.
"(Hurricanes)... that's our size of team. If you look at the Welsh Fire and Freedom, we have sort of smaller franchises compared to others," said Govil.
"There are the big boys who want to go after the big teams. I love Hobart; they are a winning team. We can make more impact in those teams."
Cricket Tasmania are also hoping that a planned closed-roof stadium could leverage a deal with an investor, and Govil remains interested in investing for the new venue. "I absolutely would be interested. Would have to look at the economics and all that stuff, but I'm all for making sure that we have the best facilities," he said.
However, sections in Australian cricket remain against BBL privatisation, stating that such a move can threaten the game and the competition. This was also seen in the Hundred, which underwent privatisation and saw a few changes, including the rebranding of Oval Invincibles to MI London.
However, the Montreal-born Govil, who has spent his time in India and then moved to the US, stated that he does not want a change of identity himself. "I don't believe in change for the sake of it," Govil said. "I always believe that local identity and local culture are very important. I strongly believe that the traditions need to continue.
"I think we need to keep building on the history and the tradition. That's how I see it."
He looks to build his portfolio in franchise cricket as he states that AI cannot replace sports in the future. "Sport is something that AI cannot replace in the future," Govil said. "It's a great asset. It's a great diversification asset. It's fun. It's sports. It's teamwork. It encompasses everything that people enjoy.
"To me, the BBL is probably the number two T20 league in the world. I think it's a great opportunity to get into," he added.
— IANS
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