Saudi Arabia aims to set up richest T20 league in country, in talks with BCCI, IPL bosses over same - Reports

The rise of T20 cricket leagues across the world has become a talking point for some time, and now with Saudi Arabia showing interest in owning and setting up the richest T20 league in the country, this topic has gained more limelight. As per the latest reports, Saudi Arabia, which lately have expanded its interests in different sports such as Formula 1 and Football, have now gotten on board to bring cricket into the country.

As reported by The Age, the Saudi government is trying to lure IPL and BCCI owners into setting up the richest T20 league in the world. As things stand, the Indian Premier League is head and shoulders ahead of every other existing T20 league across the world in terms of revenue generation, engagement on social media and the best players playing in it. Moreover, the BCCI has barred its players from appearing in other T20 leagues than the IPL,but if the Indian board decides to accept the proposal on the table, we could see a change in stance.

Earlier, the ICC chairman Greg Barclay had also confirmed Saudi’s keen interest in cricket.

"If you look at other sports they've been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them," he said. "Given their advance into the 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," Barclay added.

Not only this, but the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud also told Arab News last month that their aim is to create a sustainable industry for locals and make the country a cricket destination.

"Our aim is to create a sustainable industry for locals and expats living in the Kingdom and make Saudi Arabia a global cricketing destination."

As per the report, a few of the Saudi government representatives have also been spotted around the Indian cricket body and looking to convince the top bosses to join hands for a supreme future project. Besides this, they also want to stage the annual Asia Cup in addition to hosting the opening match or even a round of IPL in the country.