Saudi Arabia is reportedly in talks with the owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in a historic move that could change the landscape of the sport of cricket.
Not content with its growing presence in global sports, including the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix and investments in LIV Golf, KSA is now eyeing the game of cricket.
Under the current rules set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian players are prohibited from participating in overseas T20 competitions.
However, representatives from Saudi Arabia have proposed a relaxation of this rule, which could pave the way for a new T20 league to be established in KSA.
According to the details, talks regarding this plan have been ongoing for over a year between the two countries, with various stakeholders involved in discussions.
Any proposed league would need to be sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and approved by member countries before it can become a reality.
ICC Chairman, Greg Barclay, said regarding the development, “Given their advance into the sport more generally, cricket would work quite well for Saudi Arabia.”
“If you look at other sports they’ve been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them,” Greg Barclay added.
