Welsh Fire owner 'won't discriminate' in auction

Welsh Fire co-owner Sanjay Govil has told BBC Sport Wales he will not rule out signing Pakistan players at next month’s Hundred auction and is determined to “select the best team” regardless of nationality.

The pledge comes after BBC Sport revealed last week that the four Indian-owned franchises in the competition were not considering Pakistan cricketers for the upcoming player draft. The absence of Pakistan talent from IPL-owned sides has been linked to enduring political tensions between India and Pakistan, a pattern now being mirrored at IPL-affiliated teams globally.

The England and Wales Cricket Board responded by writing to all eight Hundred franchises to remind them of their anti-discrimination obligations. Welsh Fire, along with Trent Rockets, London Spirit and Birmingham Phoenix, were the four teams not purchased by IPL owners when The Hundred’s franchises were sold last year.

Govil, an Indian-American IT entrepreneur who also owns Major League Cricket’s Washington Freedom, paid £40 million for a 50 per cent stake in Welsh Fire. Speaking ahead of the auction, he insisted player performance, not passports, will drive selections.

“We are going to select the best team we can; there are going to be Pakistani players in the draft, so we just have to look at our needs because the number of international players we can sign is very limited,” Govil said.

Welsh Fire have already filled two of their four overseas slots through pre-auction signings, snapping up South Africa’s Marco Jansen and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, alongside England pair Phil Salt and Chris Woakes.

“You only have four international players who can play. So two, we already have in Marco and Rachin. I have to look at all those things, but I’m not going to get boxed by Pakistani or South Africans or this or that,” Govil added.

“I’m just going to choose the best team which is possible, and that’s the instruction which I have given to my team when they go for the auction. I’m not going to discriminate against anybody, but I’m going to choose the best players.”

Pakistan fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, who have both previously turned out for Welsh Fire, are among the Pakistan players entered for this year’s auction.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould stated last year that he expected “players from all nations to be selected for all teams” and emphasised that “clear anti-discrimination policies” govern the tournament.

Welsh Fire men, who have yet to lift the Hundred title, will hope a merit-based approach at the auction can bolster a squad looking to make a mark in the 2024 competition.