Saudi Arabia is arrangement a global T20 league and is expecting ICC approval. According to The Age, the league will feature eight teams, showed after tennis Grand Slates, and will have matches across four locations annually.
With T20 leagues like theย IPLย and BBL reforming cricket, Saudi Arabiaโs league represents an important step in the countryโs cricket growth, providing chances for local and international players.
The league is backed by Saudi Arabiaโs SRJ Sports Reserves, the sports division of the kingdomโs $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund. The ICC is presently discussing its approval.
The leagueโs idea comes from former Australian cricketer Neil Maxwell, who also managesย Pat Cumminsย and has worked on various cricket boards, including the Australian Cricketersโ Association and Cricket NSW.
In teamwork with the Australian Cricketersโ Association, the league goals to generate expenses to address key cricket challenges, particularly ensuring Test cricketโs sustainability outside traditional powerhouses likeย India, Australia, and England.
Sources specify that a group of investors is ready to support the new league, with Saudi Arabia poised to invest approximately $800 million. These details were shared secretly.
โSources familiar with the discussions, who requested unrecognizability due to the confidential nature of the talks, have exposed that a group of investors is set to support the still-unnamed global cricket league. Saudi Arabia is predictable to be the primary financial backer, with the kingdom reportedly ready to invest $500 million (approximately $800 million) into the cricket venture,โ the report stated.
SRJ Sports Investments, led by previous Australian soccer executive Danny Townsend, is behind the ingenuity. Moreover, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has learnt a minority stake in DAZN, which owns the Australian cricket broadcaster, Foxtel.
Maxwell and Townsend have not publicly commented, but reports propose the tournament will fit around major events like the IPL and BBL. The league will feature both menโs and womenโs competitions, with the final in Saudi Arabia.
The league still needs approval from Cricketย Australiaย and the ICC, with the final decision resting with ICC Chairman Jay Shah, former secretary of the BCCI.
