Saudi Arabia Approaches IPL Owners To Establish World's Richest League In Gulf - Reports
Published - 14 Apr 2023, 05:01 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM
Following the success of the inaugural editions of the SA20 and ILT20 leagues, the Saudi Arabian government is keen to set up the world’s richest T20 league in the Gulf region. The Saudi government reportedly made proposals to the owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be part of the Gulf T20 cricket tournament.
The Saudi government is investing in a variety of sports, such as the Grand Prix, LIV Golf, and Formula 1. They have also taken over the Premier League team, Newcastle United, and organized the Formula 1 race in Saudi Arabia. They want to host the T20 tournament, having already signed on as sponsors for the IPL 2023.
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According to a report in The Age, talks about a Saudi Arabian T20 league have been going on for almost a year, and the approval of the league would need to receive approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its members. Saudi Arabia’s neighbours, Qatar and Oman, recently organised the Legends League of Cricket to promote the game in the Gulf region.
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Earlier, ICC Chairman Greg Barclay discussed Saudi Arabia’s interest in investing in cricket and expressed confidence that it would be successful in the country.
“If you look at other sports they’ve been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them,” said Barclay.
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“Given their advance into sport more generally, cricket would work quite well for Saudi Arabia. They’re pretty keen to invest in sport, and given their regional presence, cricket would seem a pretty obvious one to pursue,” he added.
The current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rules prohibit Indian players from participating in overseas T20 leagues. The Saudi Arabian government might need to convince the BCCI to change their rules to allow Indian players in their richest T20 league.
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