Southern Bravery

The purchase of Hampshire by the owners of the IPL's Delhi Capitals is a shrewd move by both parties

There was a telling line in Michael Atherton’s interview with the new MCC president Mervyn King in the Times today. Discussing the impending sale of the Hundred franchises and its impact on the English domestic game, King, the former Governor of the Bank of England (and co-founder of the Chance to Shine charity) remarked, “It’s the old saying: if we want things to stay as they are, things have to change.”  

King was arguing that private investment in English cricket is a good thing – but that the money it generates shouldn’t just be used to plug the holes in a leaking pipe (which is effectively what county cricket is.) The pipe itself can be enlarged and enhanced, and new two-way valves added to enable benefits to flow both ways.  The key is to find ways to make county (and Test) cricket sustainable.  

Rod Bransgrove understands this better than most. The pharmaceutics entrepreneur who bankrolled Hampshire’s move from the Northland’s Road site in 2001 and who owns more than 60 per cent of the shares in Hampshire Sport & Leisure Holdings, has finally sealed the deal to sell a controlling stake in the county club and its environs to GMR Group, owner of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals and other teams around the world.

But what have they actually bought for their reputed £120m and how will both parties ultimately benefit from the deal?  We discuss this in today’s Analyst Inside Cricket podcast.

Buying a sports property like Hampshire isn’t just about owning a cricket team. You are also buying assets – the players, of course, and their images  - don’t forget those in these days of scrupulously protected intellectual property rights - and the fans too. There is a lot you can do with those – look what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have achieved with Wrexham (the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham is launching its fourth season on Amazon Prime early next year.) Meanwhile the team have twice won promotion. So everyone’s happy.

Hampshire are a bit like Wrexham. A sort of sleeping giant. Though not so sleepy, as they have just finished second in the county championship, to go with near misses the previous two years. With a bit of investment, one or two new players and some tweaks to the pitch at the Utilita Bowl (its too flat!) they could be a genuine threat to Surrey’s dominance and achieve their first title since 1973 and become a proper cricketing powerhouse. Hampshire’s female counterparts, the Southern Vipers, are already that and with a strong following. 

Rishabh Pant captains Delhi Capitals

There will be player swaps. Hampshire’s prodigies could get fast-tracked into GMR’s other franchise teams (eg in UAE, US, and South Africa) - with the benefits that that brings, Delhi players might be loaned to Hampshire. Sourav Ganguly, a director of GMR, could persuade Rishabh Pant to make some guest appearances. (Pant would be a big attraction, not least because of his 14 million followers on Instagram.) Both parties will use their fanbases to broaden engagement and reach and share sponsors. The deal gives Delhi Capitals a proper presence in the UK. Its what you call marketing. And lets not forget it puts them at the forefront to buy the 51% of the Southern Brave franchise in the Hundred, when its officially available.

But as important as the cricket is that GMR are buying a stadium, and the land and property around it. There is a hotel, an excellent restaurant, entertainment spaces and a very good golf course, and plenty of room for more development. Golf simulators, Sixes installations, gyms, fun parks, hair transplant clinics (just kidding, though Sourav would approve ;)) And lots of car parking. It is ripe to host events of all kinds – not just international cricket matches  (the venue will stage its first ever Ashes Test in 2027) – but exhibition games (presumably featuring the Delhi Capitals and GMR’s other teams) – golf tournaments, concerts, banquets, exhibitions, conferences and all sorts of other activities. An entertainment campus.

With some investment and imaginative thinking the Utilita Bowl could become the best outdoor facility in that populous corridor all along the south coast from West Sussex to Dorset. (Look what Lord March has achieved with Goodwood.)  It’s footfall will multiply ten-fold, and each one of those attendees equals a new source of revenue. Their data is the new oil.  And what’s more, its all going to be sustainable as Utilita have already installed 1000 solar panels in their aim to create the world’s greenest sports venue. So they’re saving the planet too.

As long as Hampshire continue to play good cricket and still serve their excellent hot pot at lunchtime, what’s not to like? They should be able to augment that with some Delhi chaat dishes which will make the lunches even better. Might even tempt Lord King down for a day.

The Utilita Bowl is England’s first solar-powered cricket stadium