NEW DELHI: Top Indian cricketers won’t be allowed to participate in a new, bankrolled richest cricket league being planned by officials from Saudi Arabia.
According to recent reports published in Indian media, the Saudi Arabian officials have held discussions with Indian Premier League team owners with the intention of starting the world’s richest cricket tournament in the Gulf nation.
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Although Saudi oil giant Aramco has had sponsorship deals with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian players will not be allowed to feature in the proposed competition. The BCCI does not allow Indian players to participate in any other domestic competition in the T20 format, fearing it will diminish the IPL’s brand value.
Reports suggest that several IPL franchises, including the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow Super Giants, are already involved in overseas T20 leagues from UAE, South Africa, USA and the Caribbean. However, the BCCI has made it clear that they will not allow Indian players to participate in any other domestic T20 competitions.
While welcoming the prospect of having a league in Saudi, the BCCI official felt that the immediate concern is that about infrastructure. “At the moment, we don’t know if they have enough stadiums to conduct a league of this magnitude.”
The kingdom has set the strategic goal of becoming the No.1 tourist destination for India by 2030, and the proposed tournament is seen as a major step towards achieving this goal. However, the absence of top Indian cricketers may pose a significant challenge for the Saudi organizers, given the immense popularity of the sport in India.
Despite the BCCI’s reservations about Indian players participating in the new league, IPL franchises can put their money wherever they want. “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,” a top BCCI official told Indian media. “It’s 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.”
