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Saudi Arabia eyes stake in $30 bln Indian Premier League

MenInG

MenInG

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 remains the most lucrative T20 league in the world. Be it in terms of finances it involves, the participation of world-class players, or the presence on social media, the IPL remains unmatched when compared to other T20 leagues around the globe. However, things could change soon as Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered IPL owners the opportunity to set up the "world's richest T20 league" in the country. Having invested heavily in other sports like football and Formula 1, Saudi Arabia now has its eyes on cricket.

At present, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) bars Indian players from participating in leagues abroad. However, a proposal from the Saudi Arabian government over a new T20 league being set up there could see the Indian board change its stance on the matter.

As per a report in The Age, the talks have been going on over the subject for about a year. But, before anything substantial can happen, the league would need to be sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Not too long ago, ICC chairman Greg Barclay had confirmed Saudi Arabian interest in cricket.

"If you look at other sports they've been involved in, cricket is something I imagine would be attractive to them," he said. "Given their advance into sport more generally, cricket would work quite well for Saudi Arabia

"They're pretty keen to invest in sport, and given their regional presence, cricket would seem a pretty obvious one to pursue," Barclay added.

"Our aim is to create a sustainable industry for locals and expats living in the Kingdom and make Saudi Arabia a global cricketing destination," Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud told Arab News last month.

As per the report, a number of representatives of the Saudi government and businesses have been spotted around India's cricketing activities, looking to get the IPL owners and the BCCI itself into their planned Twenty20 league which would stand neck-to-neck with the IPL in terms of financial prowess.

The possibilities of staging the annual Asia Cup, the opening match, or even a round of the IPL in Saudi Arabia are also reportedly in the plans.

NDTV
 
Standby for more competition for PSL...the net closing in on PSL.
 
cricketjoshila said:
If the Indian government allows that?
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Yea I doubt Indian government would want to dilute the golden hen that is the IPL. But money attracts and if some Indian businessmen are on board in the new league plus Saudi money, they can at least attract retired Indian players as a start and maybe those that don't get selected for IPL
 
MenInG said:
Standby for more competition for PSL...the net closing in on PSL.
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Pakistan have a chance to do well financially in a well funded competition which actually allows their players to play.

I doubt BCCI will be interested in supporting anything that resembles genuine competition for the IPL.
 
BCCI will seek to protect its core product (IPL).

Indian investors being involved is a minor detail, unless Indian government or BCCI is involved then this league wont take off.
 
The international game has been canabolised by Franchise cricket so another mickey mouse league is good for the players. Good luck to them
 
The BCCI isn’t going to help Saudi Arabia set up a league that can genuinely rival the IPL, it doesn’t benefit them whatsoever, and Saudi Arabia doesn’t really benefit from setting up ILT20 2.0. I think inevitably either Saudi Arabia or the UAE (maybe both) will get involved in the PSL, it makes too much sense. The PSL has everything needed to genuinely compete with the IPL except financial muscle, which Saudi Arabia can offer in exchange for partial ownership. Maybe in the future that opens the doors for the PSL to include teams in Dubai and Riyadh as well.
 
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Mark my words.

Some will try everything to damage the PSL going forward and create as much competition as possible for it.
 
Instead of having another T20 league Saudi Arabia, its better if Saudis are allowed to invest in IPL. Perhaps 1 or 2 franchises like Jeddah Warriors or Riyadh Tycoons should work. They play in IPL. Some home games can be played in Saudi Arabia too.
 
Champ_Pal said:
Instead of having another T20 league Saudi Arabia, its better if Saudis are allowed to invest in IPL. Perhaps 1 or 2 franchises like Jeddah Warriors or Riyadh Tycoons should work. They play in IPL. Some home games can be played in Saudi Arabia too.
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Who will support those two teams?
 
Saudi Arabia approaches “IPL owners” is the headline. So apart from opening a window for Pakistan players to be part of franchises owned by Indian corporates I don’t see how this news has anything to do with PSL or PCB.

If Pakistan cricketers flock to play in this league if things go right then that’s their personal choice.

Why are we looking for conspiracies here?

Are we saying PSL is so big that BCCI, ICC, government of India and Saudi Arabia are trying to sabotage it? C’mon let’s calm down a bit.
 
Saj said:
Mark my words.

Some will try everything to damage the PSL going forward and create as much competition as possible for it.
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The PSL has an audience of 230mn, the overseas players have no impact on quality and as long as the PCB know that and have strong local competitions to identify, it will remain the 2nd biggest T20 competition
 
Local.Dada said:
Saudi Arabia approaches “IPL owners” is the headline. So apart from opening a window for Pakistan players to be part of franchises owned by Indian corporates I don’t see how this news has anything to do with PSL or PCB.

If Pakistan cricketers flock to play in this league if things go right then that’s their personal choice.

Why are we looking for conspiracies here?

Are we saying PSL is so big that BCCI, ICC, government of India and Saudi Arabia are trying to sabotage it? C’mon let’s calm down a bit.
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Apparently discussion is on and it may just be IPL teams playing few exhibition matches every year or even a full fledged league of IPL teams.
 
Champ_Pal said:
People from those cities. If Arabs are not interested in cricket, then they can buy local Indian teams or at least be co-owners of some franchises.
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I have a hard time picturing people from Saudi Arabia being interested in cricket, even the expats I've met are more into football.

The concept of supporting a team in a foreign league only because the team is named after your city sounds weird to me.
 
Hextro said:
I have a hard time picturing people from Saudi Arabia being interested in cricket, even the expats I've met are more into football.

The concept of supporting a team in a foreign league only because the team is named after your city sounds weird to me.
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"It's about money, stupid"

That's all there it is to it.
 
IL20 might have given players a much better pay than majority of the leagues but the tournament was pretty boring.
 
Too many leagues in world cricket

Big bash , ipl and the British and South African leagues besides the psl and Bangla leagues .

Saudis may buy one of the teams. Or just sponsor the new us minor league .
 
Bewal Express said:
The PSL has an audience of 230mn, the overseas players have no impact on quality and as long as the PCB know that and have strong local competitions to identify, it will remain the 2nd biggest T20 competition
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Overseas players are also the key.

If other options come up, many will opt for those over the PSL.
 
Saj said:
Overseas players are also the key.

If other options come up, many will opt for those over the PSL.
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They are if they are any good. In the PSL we had 3 or 4 that were any good and the rest were absolutely useless. We don't have the money to entice the big players, so why not develop your own talent. We need to move the PSL and use the IPL widow to get Saffers, SLs and Aussies that don't get picked by the IPL.
 
They could invest in a champions trophy type thing. An Asia champions cup where the top 2 t20 teams of IPL PSL play and one t20 team each from BPL, SPL and Shpageeza league play in it.
 
BCCI helping Saudi Arabia setting up their own version of IPL lol? Pretty sure they will have Pakistani players in their league too so i directly BCCI will help Pakistani cricketers earn some extra money? This will be another hypocritical stand by BCCI. :inti
 
Saj said:
Mark my words.

Some will try everything to damage the PSL going forward and create as much competition as possible for it.
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But this is competition for IPL as well right?

They will be competing for the same market, players, TV rights etc.
 
Major said:
They could invest in a champions trophy type thing. An Asia champions cup where the top 2 t20 teams of IPL PSL play and one t20 team each from BPL, SPL and Shpageeza league play in it.
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No Indian representation will be present on the field during this tournament.

BCCI is clear that their players can play IPL only.

In any case player availability would be a nightmare and it wouldn't be clear who the usual t20 mercenaries would play for.
 
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will stick to its policy and won't release its players for the reported Twenty20 league in Saudi Arabia, a report said on Friday.

A report in the Australian newspaper 'The Sydney Morning Herald' said that the Saudi Arabian government is planning to set up the world's richest T20 league in the Gulf region and they have proposed plans regarding the same to the owners of the IPL teams.

The report further said that the BCCI is willing to change the rules and make an exception for Indian players to participate in the proposed tournament. However, a BCCI source has completely denied that possibility.

"There is no question of releasing India players. In fact, the premise of the question itself is wrong. There is a policy and we will stick by it," a BCCI source told Cricbuzz.

Not only source, the owners of the six IPL teams have also denied knowledge of the proposal from the Oil-rich Gulf country.

Notably, the BCCI has a long-standing policy of not releasing its players for the overseas T20 leagues but it gives each foreign board 10 per cent of every foreign player's salaries without taking anything away from his earnings.

The Indian board has engaged with the Saudi Arabia Government and its companies for the IPL sponsorship, with Saudi Tourism Authority and Aramco, the largest oil company in the world, being the associate sponsors of the cash-rich league.

In the last few years, the Saudi Arabian government has been actively investing in multiple sports, having made their way into Formula 1 with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as the LIV Golf.

The Saudi companies have also lately been engaging with global sports and sportspersons big time but its critics say it's a kind of 'sportswashing' the allegations of human rights abuse and environmental issues through their investments in sports.

As far as the cricket league in the Gulf region is concerned, UAE launched their own T20 league last year, the ILT20 with many IPL owners becoming stakeholders in the same.

The United Arab Emirates has also been the go-to nation for IPL when the Covid-19 outbreak in India forced the league to be held outside the subcontinent.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...lity-for-proposed-saudi-league-report-1082152
 
daytrader said:
Could work in Pakistan's favour though as Pakistan and Indian's could possibly play side by side
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cricketjoshila said:
If the Indian government allows that?
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Money talks. Not that I would have much interest in this given how the IPL has regressed considerably.

All the big dogs in the heavyweight division of Boxing didn’t want to fight each other, but a tournament is planned late in December.
 
One good thing about the BCCI is that they understand the importance of India doing well internationally being the key to IPLs success. Jeopardizing our international calender by sending players to play in these meaningless circus leagues will not do us any favours.

BCCI will never get into a situation like the other boards who are literally controlled by these franchise league commitments and are the mercy of these leagues to have their best players available for them.

Now we have franchise competitions throughout the year, in fact multiple competitions going on in parallel, so it is impossible to allow players to play in every competition.
 
sam_ahm said:
One good thing about the BCCI is that they understand the importance of India doing well internationally being the key to IPLs success. Jeopardizing our international calender by sending players to play in these meaningless circus leagues will not do us any favours.

BCCI will never get into a situation like the other boards who are literally controlled by these franchise league commitments and are the mercy of these leagues to have their best players available for them.

Now we have franchise competitions throughout the year, in fact multiple competitions going on in parallel, so it is impossible to allow players to play in every competition.
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Do they? Time after time same set of tried and tested failures such as KL , Chahal gets chances. Rohit is complete mess in terms of fitness but he is playing LOIs. Kohli keeps having less than desired SR , nobody dares to call him out. DK, BK, Shardul all gets chances in rotation inspite of being mediocre. Hardik plays when he wishes enjoying privileges like Amit Shah's son. Selection mess between Test, ODI and T20 does not need very intelligent people to sort it out. That it has not happened means merit gets trumped by mafia culture to protect individual and commercial interests at the cost of the team balance and success.
 
sam_ahm said:
One good thing about the BCCI is that they understand the importance of India doing well internationally being the key to IPLs success. Jeopardizing our international calender by sending players to play in these meaningless circus leagues will not do us any favours.

BCCI will never get into a situation like the other boards who are literally controlled by these franchise league commitments and are the mercy of these leagues to have their best players available for them.

Now we have franchise competitions throughout the year, in fact multiple competitions going on in parallel, so it is impossible to allow players to play in every competition.
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That's a good point and the BCCI also recognises the importance and value of prioritising first-class cricket, something which many other Boards don't do and pay for.
 
And who will watch this? It’s beyond me how many leagues are running in that region now and how they’re making any money.
 
Don't think this T-20 league will work in Saudi Arabia, there were hardly any crowds in UAE for the International T-20 League.
 
Chip32 said:
And who will watch this? It’s beyond me how many leagues are running in that region now and how they’re making any money.
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It'll be like the Saudi football league, only fans of the players will watch in which case Indian players playing is important.

This league will most likely pay more than IPL, I can see all the stars playing in it. Probably Indian players too.
 
sam_ahm said:
One good thing about the BCCI is that they understand the importance of India doing well internationally being the key to IPLs success. Jeopardizing our international calender by sending players to play in these meaningless circus leagues will not do us any favours.

BCCI will never get into a situation like the other boards who are literally controlled by these franchise league commitments and are the mercy of these leagues to have their best players available for them.

Now we have franchise competitions throughout the year, in fact multiple competitions going on in parallel, so it is impossible to allow players to play in every competition.
Click to expand...
Saudi Arabia have a truckload of money, they can offer 100-200m USD like nothing to BCCI to get players to play in their league.
 
Aman said:
Saudi Arabia have a truckload of money, they can offer 100-200m USD like nothing to BCCI to get players to play in their league.
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None of the current Indian players will play as of now as BCCI has said that.

IPL brings in more than a billion dollars a year in revenues.

What can possibly happen is that few IPL matches may be played. But in the month of April and May Saudi is too hot.
 
Aman said:
Saudi Arabia have a truckload of money, they can offer 100-200m USD like nothing to BCCI to get players to play in their league.
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That number will have to be more that 10x that. IPL rakes in $1 Billion each year.
 
U$ofA said:
That number will have to be more that 10x that. IPL rakes in $1 Billion each year.
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6.2bn for 5 years from TV deal alone means, IPL rakes in excess of 1bn from that only. Then there are other revenue streams and sponsors as well.
 
Now why would BCCI help SA set up competition for IPL? And no way they gonna send their players.

SA does not even play cricket. This makes no sense. If Saudis want to invest they can buy their own team in IPL like PSG, City or Newcastle in football.

They can pump PSL as well. With Saudi money and PSL being held same time as IPL. They can take some of the big names off IPL. It would however not be profitable as Indians generate 85% of all revenues.
 
Can’t wait. The greatest t20 league the world has ever seen (so far. Just wait for PSL X)
 
thelandofthebravepeople said:
Now why would BCCI help SA set up competition for IPL? And no way they gonna send their players.

SA does not even play cricket. This makes no sense. If Saudis want to invest they can buy their own team in IPL like PSG, City or Newcastle in football.

They can pump PSL as well. With Saudi money and PSL being held same time as IPL. They can take some of the big names off IPL. It would however not be profitable as Indians generate 85% of all revenues.
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franchise cricket makes money thats why.
 
Major said:
franchise cricket makes money thats why.
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It makes money because of the indian fanbase , and indian players who have a god like status as Messi Ronaldo.

If tomorrow saudi tried to invest in bbl australia it would never give them the returns they can't get from a indian involvement .
 
Cannot see this league succeeding no matter how much money is thrown at it by rich Saudis or rich Indians.
 
End of the day money speaks. If they offer more $$ than IPL, it will drain IPL.
sad reality of life - if you have money u get honey.
I only wish the money earned from ipl and Saudi whatevertheycallit league would be put to better use, ie improvining grass roots level cricket and not lining the pockets of the fat cats.
 
thelandofthebravepeople said:
Now why would BCCI help SA set up competition for IPL? And no way they gonna send their players.

SA does not even play cricket. This makes no sense. If Saudis want to invest they can buy their own team in IPL like PSG, City or Newcastle in football.

They can pump PSL as well. With Saudi money and PSL being held same time as IPL. They can take some of the big names off IPL. It would however not be profitable as Indians generate 85% of all revenues.
Click to expand...

Investing in the PSL would be the way to go but it’s hard to see how this would work as I’m sure the Saudis want matches to take place in the Kingdom, otherwise it’s just a personal investment. If they want to really compete with the IPL with longer term ambitions, then offering large sums to foreign players and staging PSL so it goes head to head with IPL would be one way to shake things up. I liken this to the WCW Vs WWF Monday night wars. No matter how you look at it IPL would suffer a big blow if even half the top foreign players were to play in PSL. Having said that, it seems like a pipe dream as the media deal wouldn’t be as lucrative given you need the Indian audience due to their numbers.
 
MenInG said:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will stick to its policy and won't release its players for the reported Twenty20 league in Saudi Arabia, a report said on Friday.

A report in the Australian newspaper 'The Sydney Morning Herald' said that the Saudi Arabian government is planning to set up the world's richest T20 league in the Gulf region and they have proposed plans regarding the same to the owners of the IPL teams.

The report further said that the BCCI is willing to change the rules and make an exception for Indian players to participate in the proposed tournament. However, a BCCI source has completely denied that possibility.

"There is no question of releasing India players. In fact, the premise of the question itself is wrong. There is a policy and we will stick by it," a BCCI source told Cricbuzz.

Not only source, the owners of the six IPL teams have also denied knowledge of the proposal from the Oil-rich Gulf country.

Notably, the BCCI has a long-standing policy of not releasing its players for the overseas T20 leagues but it gives each foreign board 10 per cent of every foreign player's salaries without taking anything away from his earnings.

The Indian board has engaged with the Saudi Arabia Government and its companies for the IPL sponsorship, with Saudi Tourism Authority and Aramco, the largest oil company in the world, being the associate sponsors of the cash-rich league.

In the last few years, the Saudi Arabian government has been actively investing in multiple sports, having made their way into Formula 1 with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as the LIV Golf.

The Saudi companies have also lately been engaging with global sports and sportspersons big time but its critics say it's a kind of 'sportswashing' the allegations of human rights abuse and environmental issues through their investments in sports.

As far as the cricket league in the Gulf region is concerned, UAE launched their own T20 league last year, the ILT20 with many IPL owners becoming stakeholders in the same.

The United Arab Emirates has also been the go-to nation for IPL when the Covid-19 outbreak in India forced the league to be held outside the subcontinent.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...lity-for-proposed-saudi-league-report-1082152
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For those who missed this post.
 
Influence of Saudi Arabia in sporting world highlighted in 2023 Forbes rich list
  • Cristiano Ronaldo tops list after big-money deal with Al-Nassr
  • Four of top 10 richest athletes have links to Gulf nation

Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in sport has been laid bare in Forbes’ 2023 list of the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes, with four having links to the Middle Eastern country.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s position at No 1 (US$136m) may not come as a shock after doubling his salary in the move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr – bumping Lionel Messi to No 2 ($130m) in the process – but the inclusion of two golfers among the football and basketball millionaires is a departure from previous lists.

Dustin Johnson (No 6, $107m) and Phil Mickelson (No 7, $106m) are two of LIV Golf’s main players, Johnson being the first to make the switch from the PGA Tour in 2022. Johnson didn’t even crack the top 50 earners last year, while Mickelson was a regular in the top 10 between 2006 and 2016. But despite players losing some sponsorship since switching to LIV, the Saudi-backed tour’s bonuses and guaranteed cash seem to have fill that void.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport to distract from its human rights abuses, rising number of executions, lack of press freedom and oppressive treatment of women and the LGBTQI+ community. The country ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and in March it executed a man during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for the first time since 2009.

Saudi Arabia extended its influence to the Premier League in 2021 when its Public Investment Fund took over ownership of Newcastle United. The brother of a man executed by the country said its Formula One race legitimised its “heinous crimes”. Cricket is also on the horizon.

While LIV’s most recent tour stop in the Australian city of Adelaide was greeted with much fanfare and went off without protester interruption, Saudi Arabia is not getting a free run everywhere. Its efforts to become an official sponsor of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were met with immediate backlash from event organisers, the local football community including national players, as well as human rights groups and the Australian government.

Despite Fifa president Gianni Infantino admitting defeat over the potential contract, he insisted Saudi Arabia was still a good fit to support the women’s game and there are reports of the country leading a joint bid for the 2026 men’s World Cup.

Saudi Arabia is not the only Middle Eastern oil country influencing the list. Messi’s on-field millions come from his Qatari-owned club Paris Saint-Germain, which is also home to France international Kylian Mbappé (No 3, $120m).

Messi, who was on Tuesday suspended by PSG after an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, drops down to second with $130m total earnings. There are rumours the Argentinian World Cup hero, who holds a tourism role for Saudi Arabia, could return to Barcelona but there is also speculation he could join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.

The Guardian
 
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Yorkshire are in negotiations with a Saudi Arabia Prince and government official about buying into the cash-strapped club.

Mail Sport has learned that chief executive Stephen Vaughan has held talks with Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud about a remarkable deal that would see the Saudi businessman buy out the £15million debt that Yorkshire owe to former chairman Colin Graves.

Yorkshire are desperate for outside investment, with Mail Sport revealing last month that if the club fail to secure additional funding they may be unable to pay player and staff salaries before the end of the season.

It is understood that the offer on the table from Prince Badr would see him take on Graves’ debt without injecting any equity into Yorkshire, which may be attractive to the membership as it would enable them to remain a members club.

Badr is believed to have pledged to charge Yorkshire less than the four per cent interest the club are currently paying to the Colin Graves Trust, who have agreed to push back a £5m repayment they are owed until October to enable them to complete the season.

A further cash injection from Badr into Yorkshire could follow at a later date, with the Saudi government encouraging investment from wealthy individuals into all sports following their own huge spending on acquiring football clubs such as Newcastle, Formula One races, world championship boxing bouts and the rebel LIV golf tour.

Badr has been involved in some of those projects after being appointed Saudi’s first minister of culture in 2018 with the primary task of working on Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to reduce the their dependence on oil by promoting the country as a major cultural, sporting and tourist destination.

The 37-year-old was previously chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, a media company that has done several deals with American and UK firms including launching Bloomberg’s first Arabic-language news channel, Bloomberg Al Arabiya.

Saudi have been looking to add cricket to their growing sports portfolio for some time and recently held talks with the owners of several IPL franchises about setting up a new T20 competition.

According to reports last month the proposed new tournament in the Middles East feature teams that are linked to the existing IPL franchises with offered 12-month contracts in a potential threat to international cricket, although the Board of Control for Cricket in India remain reluctant to release Indian players to play in any overseas league.

Yorkshire have been seeking a £20m loan to pay off the £15m owed to Graves and a further £5m needed to get through the season since last December, but as Mail Sport revealed last month their pitch to investors has failed due to concerns over the club's financial forecasts.

Several banks are understood to have queried Yorkshire's claims in their pitch to investors about the money they can pull in through naming rights deals, pop concerts and compensation from the ECB.

Any decision on whether to accept Badr’s debt funding offer would have to be ratified by Yorkshire’s members.

A Yorkshire spokesperson said: 'Stephen Vaughan is currently overseas and was unable to be reached for comment.'

DailyMail
 
Kingdom come: Will the Saudis take over cricket

The cricket world is turning its attention, again, to India as the world’s best gather for the 2023 50 over World Cup as the game comes to grips with the fact that the long promised change of climate is at hand.

All the stars will play for their countries in that tournament, but how long they continue to do so is anybody’s guess.Mark Wood, one of England’s Ashes heroes, has indicated he will probably accept money to play T20 cricket in the UAE early next year and so won’t be available for much of the Test series against India.

Jason Roy terminated his central contract because he wants to play American franchise cricket and was this week cut from the 15-man squad for England’s World Cup campaign.South Africa admitted recently it would not be able to send its best players to a Test series in New Zealand next year because they will be needed to prop up its domestic T20 franchise league.The actions of individuals are one thing, but when administrations choose to ignore the stated commitment to international competition the situation has moved to a whole other level.

And if you think that the IPL, the BBL, the CPL, the PSL, the IL20, the SA20, the BPL, the Hundred, the Blast and all the other petty skirmishes are not distraction enough then stand by for the advent of Saudi Arabia’s entrance into T20 franchise cricket.There are unverified – and probably specious – rumours among agents that Ben Stokes has been offered $US50m to sign a five-year deal with the tournament due to start in 2025.

The Saudis have big money and just need a few big names to kick start a tournament just as it did with golf.The chairman of the Saudi cricket board, Prince Saud bin Mishal al-Saud, says he wants to turn the nation into a “global cricketing destination.”Stokes, hasn’t been asked directly about the contract offer, but says it is foolish to think the sort of money being talked about will not have an impact on the game.

“You can’t compete with money, especially the money that Saudi Arabia is throwing around to certain people,” he said in a recent interview.“People can be at different points in their lives and different points in their careers, where other things matter more to them than other things.“I think Saudi Arabia over the next five to ten years is going to be interesting to see where they take sport.

Not just for cricket, football, rugby, golf, it will be interesting to see how the world of sport actually changes,” he added.Cricket Australia general manager Ben Oliver says that while that organisation offers multi-year contracts they are not used as a prophylactic against franchise cricket.

“That’s not the primary reason for offering a multi year agreement,” he told The Weekend Australian. “It is a recognition of performance and a reflection of the value that the selectors have of a player and their role in the team. That is a principle that sits behind Cricket Australia central contracting.“An important part of the MOU was to reach an agreement that was cognisant of what is happening in the game globally.

“We have BBL and WBBL clubs along with state and national programs in Australia, but on top of that is how it all fits together as part of the global game.“That formed part of the recent MOU discussions which saw an evolution of previous agreements without the need for a fundamental change in the CA contracting structure.

“In saying this, the speed of change is quick and we’ll continue to look at the contracting model as the game moves forward.“We are fortunate to have players who value representing Australia and performing at the highest level in international cricket.“Our Australian players also have the benefit of competing in high quality BBL and WBBL tournaments locally and we are supportive of players taking up overseas league opportunities where the schedule allows.

”England is rife with whispers about approaches to players by Saudi Arabia. All-rounders Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali’s names were put out this week but Moeen issued a denial soon after.Australian players told The Weekend Australian that while they expected the league to come to fruition and to pay significantly they had not had any official approaches.
Saudi company, Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, recently announced sponsorship deals with the ICC, the BCCI and the IPL.Nick Hoult reports in The Telegraph UK that England is bracing itself for players to reject multiple-year contracts in anticipation of more lucrative offers on the horizon.“The squeeze on budgets coincides with a generation of England players recognising their market value,” he wrote.

“They have more options than their predecessors, making them more likely to turn down multi-year central contracts that are to be offered for the first time.”Writing on these pages recently Michael Atherton saw only dark days ahead in a recent column for The Weekend Australian.

“Now it is generally accepted that the five-day game and bilateral international cricket is withering in front of our eyes,” he wrote. “We don’t see it so clearly in England because Tests are still vibrant here.“But in other parts of the world, it is a dying, or dead, game as a live spectator sport.

“In the Caribbean, for example, Tests are not usually watched in stadiums in any meaningful way — unless England are playing, when the travelling support lends a false look. The same is true in South Africa.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...t/news-story/62256b2ba981e4cd06a99529da164030
 
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There are unverified – and probably specious – rumours among agents that Ben Stokes has been offered $US50m to sign a five-year deal with the tournament due to start in 2025.
Wow !! Huge sum if true. Will Saudis build the next big cricket league ?
 
It makes sense. There is a large desi expat population in the region. So there is an audience.
 
Okay so BCCI is supposed to

1. Give up its players

2. Give up its massive Indian audience

And in exchange it will get the distinction of IPL’s existence being threatened by a now gigantic rival.

I don’t see it happening, nope.

As for current Indian players going renegade to accept the crazy sums from Saudi Arabia - that too won’t be and easy at it sounds. People forget how chauvinistic and angry Indian cricket audiences can get. Those players who bolt for the Saudi league against BCCI wishes will face huge backlash. I’m old enough to remember how all of India went stark staring crazy at the mere rumour that Sunny Gavaskar was going to join the breakaway Packer league.

Ben Stokes may be able to do it. Virat Kohli won’t.
 
I doubt Saudis will ever watch a game of cricket.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Saudis will not be able to recover their investment especially if it is on such a large grand scale. There is no domestic audience for Cricket there, we have already seen the lack of crowd attendances in the IL T20. Even the US Master League will suffer the same fate. Without a hardcore domestic audience you can't sustain the league for long.
 
I hope they go ahead and end the farce that is loosely considered to be international cricket. Who will watch this tripe is a million dollar question.
Franchise cricket has no tangible value in the public conscience and no one remembers who played who and who won. International ODI cricket and T20 is also has no value and only the WCs matter.
 
You got two pills, and can only take one.

1695489540697.jpeg

Option A:
End world hunger for $5 billion.

Option B:
Create a circus T20 cricket league in a land absolutely no-one watches/cares about cricket for $12~ billion for “richest cricket league” bragging rights.
 
Bewal Express said:
Franchise cricket has no tangible value in the public conscience and no one remembers who played who and who won. International ODI cricket and T20 is also has no value and only the WCs matter.
Click to expand...

What about Test Cricket ?
 
hoshiarpurexpress said:
There are unverified – and probably specious – rumours among agents that Ben Stokes has been offered $US50m to sign a five-year deal with the tournament due to start in 2025.
Wow !! Huge sum if true. Will Saudis build the next big cricket league ?
Click to expand...

That's insane if true.

He should sign it. That's crazy money for a 34-year-old (when the tournament starts).

His career earnings are only around $8,000,000 (USD).
 
More money involving in cricket means more early retirememts are going to announced soon.
 
Nov 3 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's advisers have spoken to Indian government officials about moving the IPL into a holding company valued at as much as $30 billion, the report said.

The talks were held when the crown prince visited India in September, the report said, adding that the kingdom proposed investing as much as $5 billion into the league and help lead an expansion into other countries.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the custodian of the IPL, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

IPL is one of the richest leagues in the world and has been attracting top players and coaches to India since its inaugural edition in 2008.


www.reuters.com

Saudi Arabia eyes stake in $30 bln Indian Premier League - Bloomberg News

Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
 
Seems Saudis are desperate to partner with the IPL.

They seem ready to invest 5bn USD for a 15-16 per cent stake.

This is heart breaking news of @Bilal7 bhai, he wanted the likes of Kohli and co.to turn their back on Indian cricket and become mercenaries for the Saudis. Seems not happening.

Heart breaking for a few posters who predicted the doom of the IPL when "Sheikhs" would come.
 
15% is way too much , BCCI will lose a lot of voting rights.

Saudis are investing way too much in India it’s a good and bad thing.
 
Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's advisers have spoken to Indian government officials about moving the IPL into a holding company valued at as much as $30 billion, the report said.

The talks were held when the crown prince visited India in September, the report said, adding that the kingdom proposed investing as much as $5 billion into the league and help lead an expansion into other countries.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the custodian of the IPL, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

IPL is one of the richest leagues in the world and has been attracting top players and coaches to India since its inaugural edition in 2008.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Link: https://www.reuters.com/markets/dea...ian-premier-league-bloomberg-news-2023-11-03/
 
JaDed said:
15% is way too much , BCCI will lose a lot of voting rights.

Saudis are investing way too much in India it’s a good and bad thing.
Click to expand...

BCCI will control 85 per cent. But any stake sale over 10 percent is undesirable.

Thing is that IPL isnt a company. Its only a committee within the BCCI, which itself is a registered society.

How will they sell stake?

Secondly, all the IPL revenues now comes to the BCCI. If they separate the IPL, the new board will decide how much dividend to pay. There may be serious loss of revenue to the BCCI.

Lastly, will the public accept selling Indian cricket to the Saudis.
 
Good for the country, more FDI. Saudi money may open doors for pakistani player participation. Not sure how that would work.
 
Talks are just that. Talks.

Won’t happen, IMO.

But I could be wrong, and it happens it will be for a very low stake at a very high valuation.

I do not see consensus on an outsider being allowed to invest in a product that is now partly represents India’s sporting national identity.
 
cricketjoshila said:
BCCI will control 85 per cent. But any stake sale over 10 percent is undesirable.

Thing is that IPL isnt a company. Its only a committee within the BCCI, which itself is a registered society.

How will they sell stake?

Secondly, all the IPL revenues now comes to the BCCI. If they separate the IPL, the new board will decide how much dividend to pay. There may be serious loss of revenue to the BCCI.

Lastly, will the public accept selling Indian cricket to the Saudis.
Click to expand...
Public does what BJP narrates, Reliance ARAMCO investments would had ripped Ambanis but it didn’t affect them we all know the reason why.

I have no issues with it being sold with no voting rights or whatever they have..
 
Best Saudis can do is have a couple of IPL teams like Riyadh Regals and Jedda Jaguars. Buy the best talent in cricket and win the title. They have the money to do it. It will be peanuts for them.
 
JaDed said:
Public does what BJP narrates, Reliance ARAMCO investments would had ripped Ambanis but it didn’t affect them we all know the reason why.

I have no issues with it being sold with no voting rights or whatever they have..
Click to expand...

Reliance have had foreign investors since 1980s. Its a private company.

Cricket on the other hand is a different thing altogether.
 
Champ_Pal said:
Best Saudis can do is have a couple of IPL teams like Riyadh Regals and Jedda Jaguars. Buy the best talent in cricket and win the title. They have the money to do it. It will be peanuts for them.
Click to expand...

IPL has a salary cap.

The Saudis can buy out an existing team though.
 
cricketjoshila said:
BCCI will control 85 per cent. But any stake sale over 10 percent is undesirable.

Thing is that IPL isnt a company. Its only a committee within the BCCI, which itself is a registered society.

How will they sell stake?

Secondly, all the IPL revenues now comes to the BCCI. If they separate the IPL, the new board will decide how much dividend to pay. There may be serious loss of revenue to the BCCI.

Lastly, will the public accept selling Indian cricket to the Saudis.
Click to expand...
They will have to carve out IPL from BCCI and make it a LLC of sorts. Then Saudis will be able to take a share in it.

Dont know why people would be objecting to it - as long as it’s a passive minority stake. Saudis have done this in almost all global sports
 
Lol and why would india will give even a piece of cake to another country they can expand themselves and don't need help plus I think expanding IPL to other countries won't work at all they did ipl in South Africa and it was a flop show. Only in India it will be successful because craze of cricket in fans
 
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