The Hundred: England clashes must be avoided says Welsh Fire investor Sanjay Govil

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.

“This is our chance to take this to a different level, a global level. For Glamorgan, it is transformational.”