‘Aur Kitna T20 Leagues hoga yaar, thak gaya hu’ – Fans react as Saudi Arabia holds talks with IPL owners to setup new T20 tournament
The 16th edition of the IPL is currently on going.
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Apr 14, 2023 12:03 pm
IPL and Saudi Arabia (Source: Twitter)
Cricket Leagues are springing up from all over the world. The SA20 and a league from the USA are the latest. Now it has come to light that the Saudi Arabian government, along with the IPL owners, is planning to set up what would be called the richest T20 tournament in the World.
The Saudi Arabian government is very interested to invest in a plethora of sports. They have already explored Formula 1 and have done well there. LIV GOLF and the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix are two examples to show the same. Now, the Saudi Arabian government wants to diversify its investments and see cricket as a very lucrative option. Saudi Arabia is also sponsoring the 2023 IPL season. The Indian Cricket Board have always held their cards close to its chest when it comes to the availability of Indian players in foreign Leagues.
Cricket is something that would be attractive to Saudi Arabia
But now, the Saudi Government might ask the ICB to relax its rules so that the unthinkable might happen. The Idea to float a league in the Gulf has been going on for the past year. But any tournament which has to take place in the Gulf region has to be authorised by the Cricket Governing Body. The approval has to be obtained from the Member countries, which includes Australia.
The Chairman of the Cricket Governing Body Greg Barclay said that Saudi Arabia was open to the idea of exploring cricket as a long-term investment option and was ready to tap into it as they thought that it would give them good returns. The examples above state that they have done the heavy lifting in other sports. When it comes to football, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund has taken over the ownership of Newcastle United.
“If you look at other sports they’ve been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them,” Barclay said. “Given their advance into 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, “He added.
Let us take a look at the reactions on Twitter:
It is hard to find a window in an already congested cricket calendar. Too much cricket tbh.
I don't think any league can beat IPL. IPL is successful because of the combination of huge market and huge economy. Only if KSA can get Indian players in their league only then they can attract viewership .
It won't be possible because IPL has gained success because of indian audience as indian players are not allowed to play any other league this would not attract the indian audience 😉
Competition can only mean good for IPL. This will force IPL to have new social media team and to have new innovations. Monopoly is never a good thing , healthy competition is great for the leagues . Premier League is the best bcoz La Liga , Ligue 1 has always kept it on its toes
