Arun Dhumal ends suspense over Saudi Arabia's investment in IPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal has responded to the rumors about potential investments from Saudi Arabia in cricket. Dhumal stated that Saudi Arabia wants to invest in cricket, but added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not received any proposals about investments.

The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) has been strengthening its relationship with the IPL over the past few years. Aramco, Visit Saudi, and Neom have secured sponsorship deals with the IPL and its franchises. The BCCI decided to stage the 2025 mega-auction for the IPL in Jeddah in November last year.

There Is No Proposal to Be Discussed - Arun Dhumal

Arun Dhumal shared his thoughts about potential Saudi involvement in world cricket. He said that no official proposals or plans had been received regarding any Saudi attempts to disrupt the cricketing landscape.

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"It can't be 'yes' or 'no' because there is no proposal to be discussed; it is just media speculation. There's nothing that we can do about media speculating," Dhumal told ESPNCricinfo.

Saudi Arabia, after investing in sports like football, golf, and Formula 1, is reportedly looking to support an eight-team T20 league. This new venture, backed by Saudi financial resources and based on plans proposed by player associations, aims to create a competitive circuit of T20 events.

They're Wanting to Make Some Investments in Cricket - Arun Dhumal

Saudi Arabia currently lacks cricket infrastructure, but the SACF is working to build an international-standard stadium in Jeddah. Arun Dhumal stated that hosting the 2025 mega-auction in Jeddah was a strategic move by the BCCI to encourage the Saudi government to invest in cricket.

"Saudi Cricket as such is part of ICC," Dhumal said. "They're wanting to make some investments in cricket so that cricket becomes more relevant in that part of the world, given the diaspora from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh… There's a lot of aspirations and demands from those guys that more cricketing activity should happen there.

There Has Been a Lot of Speculation - Arun Dhumal

The former BCCI treasurer dismissed media speculation about Saudi Arabia's direct involvement or investment interest in the IPL. He said that there have been no discussions between the BCCI, IPL, and Saudi cricket authorities on such matters.

"There has been a lot of speculation as to any talk between IPL and BCCI and Saudi Cricket with regard to their interest in IPL. I would want to categorically deny any of that. The idea was to give them a flavour of what IPL is all about. When you see the kind of numbers that happened there with regard to this mega-auction, everybody was startled as to how big this game is," Dhumal said.

The World Cricketers' Association (WCA) is reportedly engaged in discussions about launching a global series of T20 tournaments. While earlier reports have suggested that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) might consider a multi-billion-dollar investment in the IPL, no official confirmation has been made.

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