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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will reportedly not allow any active Indian cricketers to participate in overseas T20 leagues, including the rumored T20 competition in Saudi Arabia.
A report surfaced online yesterday claiming that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is planning to conduct the richest T20 league in the Gulf. The report also claimed that the officials of the tournament have reached out to IPL franchises to buy teams in the competition.
IPL franchise owners have teams in several leagues across the world. Their most recent investments were in the leagues of South Africa, United Arab Emirates and United States of America.
Saudi Arabia plans to conduct the 'richest' T20 league, which is why some fans feel that the Indian players may also be allowed to participate in the competition. However, a BCCI official has trashed all the rumors.
Speaking to The Indian Express, a board official said:
"No current Indian players will be taking part in any of the leagues, but as far as franchise participation is concerned, we can’t stop them, their individual decision. We have seen IPL franchises going to South Africa or Dubai and we can’t say no. It’s their choice to have their team in any of the leagues around the world.”
BCCI denies permission for current cricketer, but retired Indian players can participate in Saudi Arabia's T20 league
The BCCI official made it clear that the current Indian cricketers will not be allowed to play in any leagues except the IPL, but the retired Indian players can participate in foreign leagues. The likes of Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa participated in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and the International League T20 in 2022/23 season.
Even Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, Pragyan Ojha and several other Indian stars participated in the Legends League Cricket in Qatar earlier this year. It will be interesting to see if the Saudi Arabian T20 league can attract any retired Indian cricketers.
