US tech entrepreneur Sanjay Govil interested in buying BBL franchise

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) 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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IGPL Delhi NCR: Bhullar’s brilliant charge gives him title; two wins in two starts

Greater Noida, Sep 19 (IANS) Gaganjeet Bhullar carded a superb six-under 64 to fight back from behind to win the title in the IGPL Invitational Delhi NCR hosted by Gaurav Ghei at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort here on Friday, becoming the first back-to-back winner in the inaugural season of the tour.

Bhullar revealed that he knew he was in for a low score the moment he walked onto the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort for the final day of the event. He had warmed up perfectly and said his body gave him the right signals.

Bhullar carded 6-under 64, the best card so far in two IGPL tournaments, and became the first back-to-back winner on the circuit that promises a lot of excitement from the young brigade. Bhullar shot 72-68-64 for an 8-under total at the Jaypee course, which played to a par of 72 on the first day and then 70 on the final two days.

Bhullar was thrilled to have gotten the IGPL to a flying start with two wins in two starts. For the second straight week, Bhullar took home a cheque of Rs. 22,50 lakh. He grinned while saying, “Winning is always pleasing. That’s what we work for, but I am also amazed at the talent that this IGPL field has. Many of these teenagers will win not only in India but also in the international arena.”

Bhullar shared, “My body was stiff on the first two days. I have been doing a lot of gym and preparing for the international stretch of my season, also. But today when I warmed up, I felt my body was loose and I felt good. That’s when I knew I would be able to go low today.”

He smiled and added, “It did go well, but for the last hole, which I three-putted.”

Pukhraj Singh Gills (6-under) was second, and Kartik Singh (4-under), who had a double bogey finish, ended second and third, respectively.

Playing his first IGPL event, Karandeep Kochhar (3-under) and Syed Saqib Ahmed (3-under) were tied for fourth place, and Kartik Sharma (2-under) and Aman Raj (2-under), showing signs that he is on their way back from injuries, were tied for sixth place.

Another young and new pro, Raghav Chugh (1-under) and Sachin Baisoya (1-under) were tied-eighth, and the experienced Shiv Kapur, who said he was thrilled to play the IGPL, squeezed into the tenth place at even par.

Amandeep Drall (1-over) was the top woman player in Tied-11th place, while the top amateur was 16-year-old Arshvant Srivastava, who shot 1-over on the first day, closed the week with a par final round. In between, he went 6-over for the second round for a total of seven over.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of IGPL, said, “The charge by Gaganjeet on the final day must have been most inspiring for the youngsters, who saw him play some amazing golf. Youngsters like Kartik Singh, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Raghav Chugh, and many others, including amateurs, chased him hard, but Gaganjeet played so well. He has been a real big star in Indian golf, and he has given the IGPL a great start in just two weeks. Two wins in two starts with some top-quality golf.”

Bhullar, who was five shots behind the teen sensation and overnight leader Kartik Singh, was off to a flying start and opened birdie-birdie. He added a third on the fifth and never took his foot off the pedal.

On the back nine of the Jaypee course, which was played to a par of 70, he added five more birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and the 17th with just one bogey in between on the Par-4 13th. From 2-under at the start of the day, he had soared to 9-under and targeted a double-digit score under par with just one hole left. By then, his win was almost confirmed with his closest rivals, the 16-year-old Kartik Singh (73) and Pukhraj Singh Gill (68), three shots behind him.

Then Bhullar made what was probably his only mistake on a day of some amazing golf. He three-putted the 18th for a second bogey and dropped to 8-under but was still a comfortable winner by two shots.

The tournament host, Gaurav Ghei, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour and the first Indian to play the Open, was overwhelmed by the response to the event. “Playing the event, while hosting it, is a responsibility of sorts. The IGPL team was superb, and I was blown away by Gaganjeet’s display and the youngsters, who gave him a run for his money.”

Pukhraj Singh Gill, a long-hitting, hugely talented pro, who was 4-under and three behind the 36-hole leader Kartik at the start of the final round, added a 2-under 68 and finished second with a three-day total of 6-under.

Kartik Singh, tied-eighth on his pro debut last week, just could not get his game going, as he bogeyed twice early on the third and the fifth. He pulled one back on the eighth. However, he rode a roller-coaster on the back nine. He birdied the 10th, gave back a shot on the 11th, and then bogeyed again on the 13th. He picked a shot on the 16th to get back to tied second, but faltered on the final hole with a double bogey and dropped to third.

Kartik, who could not get his ‘A’ game going today, was still pleased with his result and what he has learnt from the two IGPL events so far. “It has been a great experience and I have learnt so much from Gaganjeet sir and many other senior players. The IGPL has been a big boost for me and my game.”

–IANS

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Vacherot stages another comeback to stun Fils, reaches Tokyo SF

Tokyo, Oct 4 (IANS) Valentin Vacherot continued his extraordinary run at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Sunday, recovering from a breakdown in both the opening and deciding sets to defeat former champion Arthur Fils 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and book his place in the semi-finals.

The Monegasque spent two hours and 20 minutes battling through another three-set contest, adding Fils to a growing list of opponents he has overcome through sheer resilience this week. The 27-year-old had already produced a major turnaround against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, recovering from a set and a break behind to advance.

Against Fils, Vacherot again refused to let an unfavourable position dictate the outcome. He overturned a break deficit in the first set by winning four games in a row and repeated the feat after falling behind in the third.

“I believed and turned it around in the first set. Then, in the third, I was a bit more positive that I could break him back because I was at 30/30 in a lot of his service games. Maybe he should have won one of the first or third sets, but I won both of them. That’s tennis. That’s the beauty,” Vacherot, who is now 5-5 against top-10 players, was quoted by ATP.

The decisive moment arrived with Fils serving at 4-5 in the final set. Vacherot immediately went on the offensive, producing two successive return winners before forcing the Frenchman through two long rallies. He eventually earned the break he needed to close out the match.

The victory sends Vacherot into his third ATP Tour semi-final and continues a remarkable resurgence that began during last year’s Asian hard-court swing.

At the time, Vacherot was ranked No. 204 and entered the Shanghai Masters as a qualifier. He went on to win the title, becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in the history of the series since 1990.

His title defence in Shanghai begins next week, where he will have 1,000 points to defend. Despite the points pressure, his Tokyo run has lifted him four places to No. 14 in the ATP Live Rankings as he continues his pursuit of a maiden Top-10 ranking.

Fils, meanwhile, saw his hopes of strengthening his position in the race for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals take a blow. The 22-year-old is currently seventh in the ATP ‘Race To Turin’, but Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur, occupying eighth and ninth, respectively, remain in contention and can still close the gap in Beijing.

The defeat was particularly disappointing for Fils, given his strong history in Tokyo. He won the tournament in 2024 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 9 earlier this week. However, after missing the entry deadline, he had to begin this year’s campaign in qualifying.

Fils fought his way through the qualifiers before defeating Luca Van Assche and Frances Tiafoe to reach the quarter-finals, only for his run to end against Vacherot.

The Monegasque will next face Jiri Lehecka for a place in the final. Lehecka wrapped up the quarter-final stage by sweeping aside Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-1, 6-1 in just 58 minutes.

The Czech has now reached his 14th ATP Tour semi-final and his third of the season. Vacherot holds a 1-0 record against Lehecka, having defeated him in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting at the Paris Masters last year.

Vacherot is one of only two seeded players still standing in Tokyo, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz potentially awaiting him in the final. The top seed advanced earlier in the day after Denis Shapovalov retired during their quarterfinal.

–IANS

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