The British newspaper The Guardian has revealed in its report that Saudi Arabia’s plans to launch its own T20 league for $400 million (approximately over 1.13 billion Pakistani rupees) have suffered a major setback as the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the England and Wales Cricket Board have withdrawn their support to save their leagues. The reports said that the two boards have united in their opposition to the new league and have agreed that they will not issue “no objection certificates” to their players and plan to lobby the International Cricket Council (ICC) to prevent players from joining the league. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia was trying to partner with Saudi investors in the league.
The report said that the proposed cricket league will have 8 teams and is proposed to be modeled on tennis and Grand Slam and the participating teams will play matches at 4 different venues throughout the year and the teams will also be selected. Cricket Australia’s main objective is to generate cash flow through private investors as the franchises participating in the Big Bash League (BBL) are owned by the governing body and the states. On the other hand, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is ready to fill its coffers with $ 12 billion, while the English board’s league The Hundred is ready to sell 49% of its teams. Three years ago, Cricket South Africa raised more than $ 136 million by selling its SAT20 league franchises to Indian owners. The report added that the current head of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is Jay Shah, a former secretary of the Indian board, and there is no possibility of him going against the wishes of the board.
