Saudi Arabia is making ready to launch an formidable world Twenty20 (T20) cricket league, supported by its $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund.
Led by Australian cricket determine Neil Maxwell, and backed by SRJ sports activities, the undertaking is modeled after tennis’s Grand Slam occasions, with plans for a touring eight-team league. The league is anticipated to host matches in 4 totally different areas.
Maxwell, a former Australian cricketer and supervisor of Australian captain Pat Cummins, has spent the previous 12 months growing the idea. The league’s objectives are to handle key challenges dealing with the game, reminiscent of supporting Check cricket and producing new income alternatives for smaller cricketing nations.
The league will characteristic groups primarily based in established cricketing nations, together with Australia, however can even look to develop into rising markets. Each males’s and girls’s competitions are deliberate, and the ultimate could also be held in Saudi Arabia.
Discussions with the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) are already in progress, with sources revealing that Saudi Arabia is ready to speculate $500 million within the enterprise. The brand new league is designed to enrich present T20 tournaments just like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia’s Huge Bash League, filling gaps within the worldwide cricket calendar.
Nonetheless, the league faces a number of challenges. It nonetheless requires approval from the ICC and nationwide cricket boards, reminiscent of Cricket Australia.
Furthermore, the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI) would want to carry its ban on Indian gamers collaborating in T20 leagues exterior the IPL.
If the league is accredited, it might reshape cricket’s monetary construction by providing an alternate income mannequin to the present system, which is dominated by India, Australia, and England. Smaller cricket nations stand to profit from shared funds, probably decreasing their reliance on unprofitable bilateral sequence and creating extra sustainable alternatives for development.