HAMPSHIRE chairman Rod Bransgrove is considering hosting Indian Premier League matches at the Rose Bowl.
Bransgrove's decision to let Dimitri Mascarenhas play alongside Shane Warne for two weeks of the IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals may be just the beginning of Hampshire's relationship with the Jaipur franchise.
Mascarenhas will be the only English player involved in the inaugural IPL season when he joins the Royals from May 12-26.
Hampshire have agreed a unique deal that will see Mascarenhas play for a third of the IPL season despite being named as the county's new captain less than a fortnight ago.
Mascarenhas is likely to stay in India until June 1 if the Royals qualify for the final.
And Bransgrove admits that his friendship with the chairman of Emerging Media, the media-property development business which owns the Jaipur franchise, could result in a continuing partnership with the Rajasthan Royals.
Bransgrove has been frustrated at the lack of a Twenty20 tournament to rival the IPL in England, but Hampshire's plc status makes them well suited to a future partnership with the Indian franchise, whose team will be coached and captained by Warne from April 18-June 1.
Bransgrove admitted: "I get on well with Manoj Badale, one of the owners of the Rajasthan Royals franchise, so hosting IPL games at the Rose Bowl is not something I would say no to. It's an interesting prospect but would involve the ECB and wider parties."
Full story in today's Daily Echo
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article