After SA20 and ILT20 success, Saudi Arabia approaches IPL owners to set up Gulf's richest cricket league: Reports

The Saudi Arabian government is reportedly keen to set up the Gulf's richest cricket league after the success of the inaugural SA20 and ILT20 leagues featuring Indian Premier League (IPL) owners.

For the uninitiated, the country is already active in the world of sports, including the takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United and hosting Formula 1 via the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Their next goal is to discover their untapped potential in cricket. Their plan is to host a T20 league, having already joined IPL 2023 onboard as sponsors.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, talks regarding the T20 league have already been underway for nearly a year. To set up the T20 league, the fifth-largest country in Asia must get the approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its members.

Saudi Arabia's neighbors Qatar and Oman recently hosted the Legends League Cricket to promote the game in the Gulf region.

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“They’re pretty keen” – Greg Barclay on Saudi Arabia's interest in cricket after SA20 and ILT20 success ft. IPL

ICC Chairman Greg Barclay recently spoke about Saudi Arabia’s interest in sports. He reckons that cricket will work out well in the country.

“If you look at other sports they’ve been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them. Given their advance into the sport more generally, cricket would work quite well for Saudi Arabia."

He continued:

"They’re pretty keen to invest in sport, and given their regional presence, cricket would seem a pretty obvious one to pursue.”

Interestingly, with the current rules set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian players are banned from playing in overseas T20 leagues. An amendment is required to relax the rules.

As of now, UAE is the preferred location for cricket in the Middle-East region, having international venues in Dubai (Dubai International Cricket Stadium), Abu Dhabi (Zayed Cricket Stadium), and Sharjah (Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium). It recently hosted the ILT20 competition, featuring overseas and domestic players.

It’s worth mentioning that all six teams in ILT20 and SA20 had Indian owners, including IPL franchise owners. In ILT20, franchise owners even got the option to sign up to four players from their current IPL squads.