Saudi Arabia wants to make the T20 League the biggest in the world.
A story in The Age says that the Saudi government wants to start a new T20 league that will be the richest in the world. This is in line with Saudi Arabia’s recent move into sports.
The Gulf state is said to have talked to the owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) about making sure Indian players can play in the league.
The rules of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) say that Indian players can’t play in T20 tournaments outside of India.
But the league would also need to be accepted by member countries and be recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Earlier, Greg Barclay, the head of the ICC, also said that Saudi Arabia was interested in cricket.
“If you look at the other sports they’ve played, cricket seems like something they might be interested in,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia would do well at cricket, given how far they have come in sports in general.
“They’re pretty eager to put money into sports, and given their location, cricket seems like a good choice.”
In August of last year, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz also said that sports and entertainment will be important parts of the big Vision 2030 plan for the Kingdom.
“The country’s respected leaders are really interested in how sport can change people’s lives for the better, and we are fully on board to help make that happen,” he said. “The changes that have already been made have had a huge effect on the people in our country.”
“It’s easy to feel how excited Saudis are that some of the biggest sports events in the world will be held in the Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup later this year. They have already held the Spanish Super Cup and events in Formula One, golf, and boxing.
In 2021, the Premier League football team Newcastle United was bought by a group run by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign investment fund.
Last year, Cristiano Ronaldo, a famous football player, signed with Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in a deal that is thought to be worth more than 200 million euros. The 37-year-old signed a deal that will keep him with the team until June 2025.