According to reports, the Saudi Arabian government is currently in discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the establishment of the world’s most lucrative T20 league. The Saudi authorities have reached out to the owners of the Indian Premier League and are interested in having Indian cricket players participate in this league, with the aim of fully exploiting cricket’s untapped potential.
In recent years, the Saudi Arabian government has demonstrated significant interest in the sports industry. They have made substantial investments in various sports, such as the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix and LIV Golf, and have recently entered the football arena. Their next objective is to take advantage of the game of cricket by creating the world’s wealthiest T20 league.
The Age has reported that discussions regarding the potential cricket league in Saudi Arabia commenced more than a year ago. However, for any proposed league to move forward, it must receive approval from both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the member nations.
In an earlier statement, ICC Chairman Greg Barclay confirmed that Saudi Arabia has expressed a strong interest in investing in the sport of cricket. Barclay stated, “Given their foray into other sports, cricket is an attractive proposition for them. Given their regional presence and their keenness to invest in sports, cricket seems like an obvious option to pursue for Saudi Arabia.”
As it stands, Indian players are only permitted to participate in the Indian Premier League and are restricted from joining foreign T20 leagues by the BCCI. Thus, to establish the world’s most lucrative T20 league, the Saudi Arabian government would need to secure the participation of Indian cricketers.
Whenever the BCCI has hosted cricket matches in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates has been the preferred host nation. Due to Covid-19 restrictions in India, the IPL 2020 edition was held in the UAE, and the second half of IPL 2021 was also organized there after the second wave of the pandemic hit India.