New global Saudi-funded Twenty20 league in the offing: report

A news report on plans of a new global Twenty20 cricket league, backed by Saudi Arabia’s SRJ Sports Investments, has created a stir in world cricketing circles. The proposed eight-team league is believed to be inspired by the tennis Grand Slams, with matches set to be played in four different locations worldwide each year and being spearheaded by Australian cricket figure Neil Maxwell.

 According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Saudi Arabia is expected to inject $500 million (AU$800 million) into the project, making it the league’s largest financial backer. The news, which looks premature and with no word of confirmation, is in line with the oil-rich kingdom’s attempts of ‘sportswashing’ with the LIV Golf Tour, Formula One event, Saudi League with it’s plethora of football icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and even the FIFA World Cup in 2034.

 The report says discussions are going on with the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport’s global governing body and the ball now rests with it’s new chairman Jay Shah.  The tournament would introduce new franchise teams, including one based in Australia and will feature both men and women’s competitions like the The Hundred in England. The final could be held in Saudi Arabia, highlighting its ambitions to become a major cricket destination.

The league is supposed to be held in a separate window – independent of IPL and the Big Bash – though cricket is already saturated with a surfeit of franchise leagues being played in most of cricket-playing countries. Interestingly, Saudi had been eyeing the expat sport of cricket for some time with Aramco being one of the co sponsors of IPL while the last mega auction of the league being held in Jeddah.

 It was in the wake of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s visit to India in 2023 that Bloomberg reported that the gulf country was interested in acquiring substantial stakes in the IPL. Senior BCCI officials, when contacted, denied knowledge of any such talks but two years down the line - the richest cricket board of the world has a Saudi company as a sponsor on board and hosted the IPL auction there.   

 Maxwell, a former NSW and Victoria allrounder who now manages Australian captain Pat Cummins, has been a key force behind the proposal. He has worked closely with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to develop the league as a new revenue stream that could help sustain Test cricket beyond the dominant markets of India, Australia, and England.

 SRJ Sports Investments, incidentally, is headed by Danny Townsend, the former CEO of the Australian Professional Leagues. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns a stake in streaming service DAZN, now also has ties with Australian cricket broadcasting.