RIYADH: Following the recent Saudi Arabian expansion into sports, the Saudi government has expressed its intention to set up a new T20 league, the world’s richest.
As per reports, owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been approached by the Gulf state to ensure participation of Indian players in the league. Indian players are not allowed, as per rules of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to participate in overseas T20 competitions.
The league would also need to be sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and approved by member countries. Earlier, the ICC chairman Greg Barclay had also confirmed Saudi Arabia’s interest in cricket.
He said he thought cricket was something he imagined would be attractive to them. He said cricket would work quite well for Saudi Arabia. He added that Saudi authorities were pretty keen to invest in sport, and given their regional presence, cricket would seem a pretty obvious one to pursue.
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz also highlighted that sports and entertainment will play a key role in the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 in August last year. He said people could really sense how excited Saudis would be to see some of the world’s biggest sports events taking place in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup later this year, having already hosted the Spanish Super Cup and events in Formula One, Golf, and boxing. A group led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign investment fund purchased the Premier League football team Newcastle United in 2021.
Meanwhile, legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia last year in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros. The 37-year-old penned a contract that will take him to June 2025.
