Adrian is certainly no village idiot. Just a man on a mission who gets things wrong... regularly!
Meanwhile...
Delhi Capitals owners agree £120 million deal to buy majority share in Hampshire CCC.It continues to astonish me how major news stories get lost in the daily milieu of lies, deception and duplicity emanating from the mainstream media. The size of a woman’s breasts is deemed more important, more newsworthy, than an event, if ratified by the ECB, that may change county cricket forever. Yet, there has been hardly anything but silence since this news appeared ten days ago. Hampshire CCC could be owned by an overseas franchise by the end of this season, after an historic offer of £120 million has been put forward by the GMR owners of the IPL side, Delhi Capitals.
Where art thou ECB? Why the ten day silence? If it wasn’t for the Daily Telegraph who got the scoop and broke the news, no-one in the cricketing world would know.
Under the terms of this agreement that has been passed over to the ECB for ratification, the GMR Group is poised to take full ownership of Hampshire and a 51 per cent stake in the Southern Brave, with the option to complete a 100 percent takeover of the Hundred franchise.
The Indian bid for Hampshire was first mooted back in January, where again it was lost in the milieu off tosh and nonsense. The problem being the ECB are in a bind as the deal is also mixed up in the 100 tournament which the Board are separately attempting to sell a 49% stake of.
The Telegraph article states, “The Delhi part-owners are understood to have beaten a second bid from rival Indian Premier League franchise Lucknow Super Giants with an offer which values Hampshire at £120 million, although that price includes the club’s debts of around £60 million. GMR owns 50 percent of both the Delhi Capitals and their Women’s Premier League franchise, with another Indian conglomerate JSW Group owning the other half.
“Hampshire’s value appears to have risen during the negotiating process from a starting point of around £100 million, an increase which reflects the ECB’s decision to gift them a 51 percent stake in Southern Brave. The high valuation is also down to an impressive international fixture list and the promise of strong ticket sales secured by owner Rod Bransgrove, who is set to be rewarded for his shrewd stewardship of a club he rescued from bankruptcy 24 years ago.”
Bransgrove is viewed by some at Hampshire as the club’s shining knight on a brave white horse. First, after saving the county from almost certain demise and without an actual cricket ground, he raised the money to build a 25,000 seater modern stadium; secured international games including - finally - an Ashes Test match for 2027, an Indian Test in 2029 and eight England white-ball matches between 2025 and 2031; has constructed a multi-million pound hotel, busy all the year a
round with mega-bucks local cruise ship business; not forgetting a golf course... and all of this on the same site. Although, we won’t mention the amazing financial assistance from Eastleigh Borough Council and the infamous Keith House. That story is for another day!The takeover by GMR, which also owns 50 percent of the Dubai Capitals in the United Arab Emirates’ ILT20 and Seattle Orcas in America’s Major League Cricket, is hugely significant for English cricket as it puts the Indian franchise in a strong position to become the first outright owners of a Hundred team.
While a sale process which the ECB has likened to “speed dating” is not due to begin until September, with 51 percent of the Southern Brave already under their control, a full takeover would appear to be a formality. Like a pack of cards, once Hampshire is snaffled up who next? And could Sussex also benefit?
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have reopened talks with Yorkshire about a takeover at Headingley, although that process may take longer to complete as Chair, Colin Graves, has yet to get the approval from members to take the club private. If the ECB fails to sell 49% of the 100 in the hopes of bringing in up to £500 million to help keep 18 counties alive for the next 20 years, the second option is selling county grounds to overseas business consortiums.
Something has to give as county cricket is in debt to £200 million. The ECB doesn’t have the money to pay off these debts, so what is it to be?