According to a BCCI official, the leading Indian players will not participate in Saudi Arabia’s World’s Richest T20 Cricket League.
As per recent reports, officials from Saudi Arabia are planning to start the world’s richest cricket tournament in their country and have approached Indian Premier League team owners for discussions.
However, Indian players won’t be allowed to participate in the proposed competition, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not permit Indian players to take part in any other domestic T20 competition fearing it will affect the IPL’s brand value.
Several IPL franchises are already involved in overseas T20 leagues, but the BCCI has made it clear that they won’t allow Indian players to participate in any other domestic T20 competition.
While welcoming the idea of having a league in Saudi Arabia, a BCCI official raised concerns about the availability of infrastructure to conduct a league of this magnitude.
Although IPL franchises can participate in any league worldwide, no current Indian players will be taking part in any of the leagues, according to a top BCCI official. Despite this, the absence of top Indian cricketers may pose a challenge for the Saudi organizers given the sport’s immense popularity in India.
The proposed tournament is seen as a major step towards Saudi Arabia’s strategic goal of becoming the top tourist destination for India by 2030.