RIYADH – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after raking accolades in football, now aimed to touch other sports, and in this regard, officials are mulling establishing the world’s highest-paying cricket league.
Reports in international media suggest that Saudi authorities have approached few team owners of the Indian Premier League as T20 or similar short-format cricket leagues are said to be the future of cricket.
The Arab nation approached IPL as it wants the participation of Indian players in the league – in a rare move as Indian players were not allowed to play in other leagues. The newest dream of the Muslim nation will need assent of top cricket body. The country of around 36 million is not a full member of the International Cricket Council, and any potential domestic tournament would not be recognized as an official List A competition, thus games wouldn’t appear in the players’ domestic T20 records.
Earlier, the Cricket Federation chairman of Saudi Arabia Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud told a publication that they are planning a sustainable industry for locals and ex-pats living in the Kingdom and making Kingdom a global cricketing destination.
Amid the buzz, the exact details of the meeting were kept under wraps. Top investors in Kingdom are reportedly keen to invest in sports, especially in cricket – a known thrilling sport with billions of fans across the globe.
Sports and entertainment are two of the newly tapped sections for Saudi as it will play a crucial role in boosting tourism under Vision 2030. Formula One, Golf, and boxing are some of the previous adventures of Kingdom.
The Arab nation is hosting FIFA Men’s Club World Cup later this year, and Super Cup. Premier League football team Newcastle United in was bought by KSA two years back. The country also got a boost of legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo who signed for Al Nassr of in a money raining deal.
