Saudi Arabia is reportedly investigating the possibility of launching what is likely to be the world’s most lucrative Twenty20 tournament after the chairman of their cricket board, Prince Saud bin Mishal al-Saud, declared his intention to make the nation “a global cricketing destination”.
The Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald said discussions have taken place between Saudi government representatives and owners of Indian Premier League teams, including about the possibility of Indian players – who have so far been banned from participating in overseas T20 competitions – being allowed to participate.
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Having made significant and controversial investments in football – including the purchase of Newcastle United – and golf, with the launch of the LIV Golf tour, Saudi Arabia has also started to build commercial relationships in cricket over recent years. Last October, the International Cricket Council agreed a global partnership with Saudi Aramco, the national petrol company, which includes involvement in the World Test Championship final between India and Australia at the Oval in June, and at the ODI World Cup in the autumn. In February, Saudi tourism authority joined Aramco among the IPL’s key sponsors.
“If you look at other sports they’ve been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them,” the ICC chair, Greg Barclay, said. “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.”
Prince Saud was asked by Arab News last month if he was hoping to launch a professional cricket league in the country. “There will be leagues on all levels, not just one league,” he said. “We’ve developed great relationships with the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council, as well as some successful international cricket boards and big cricketers globally. And then we hired experts to help us develop a model of a league. Of course, a lot of infrastructure and development are required, but we’ll announce when it’s time.”
Any new competition would be pitched into an overcrowded schedule and follow the launch of high-profile new leagues in South Africa and the UAE this year. With March and April dominated by the IPL, searing temperatures presenting a potentially insurmountable obstacle through the summer months and cold ruling out midwinter, a new tournament’s most likely home would be October and November. This year’s ODI World Cup, like the T20 events of 2021 and 2022, will be held in that period but there would then be no further clashes with global competitions until the ODI World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2027.
The Guardian has contacted the Saudi Cricket Association for comment.
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