Saudi Arabia eyes stake in $30 bln Indian Premier League

[JaDed]

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

??
IPL was nowhere near to flop in SA, if anything it became global thanks to SA. 2009

 

[7sins]

??
IPL was nowhere near to flop in SA, if anything it became global thanks to SA. 2009

Did they earned any ticket money from that SA ipl? I don't think so most stadiums were empty you can go check on the videos. Surely they got big tv rights money and all that

 

[cricketjoshila]

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

Cricket in India is more than sports.

I am curious to know how a Registered society BCCI is going to convert one of its committees into a holding company.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Did they earned any ticket money from that SA ipl? I don't think so most stadiums were empty you can go check on the videos. Surely they got big tv rights money and all that

IPL got good crowds in SA.

IPL was housefull in UAE.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Brother @cricketjoshila

Don’t resist it. This is the future.

Eventually IPL has to and it absolutely will expand into a 15-20 team tournament spanning 6 months or so like NBA, major European leagues. It will have exclusive rights to international talent which will eventually reduce some of the other leagues to just domestic competitions or very inferior form of alternative leagues.

IPL’s expansion will be the end of bilateral cricket as we have known it.

ICC tournaments will survive.

Test cricket will eventually only be viable for the Big 3-5 depending on where the economy goes for related nations. Test cricket will become a very very exclusive club like back in the day when it started.

 

[NishanKonar]

Its not just about IPL & BCCI

Its about diplomacy. Both India & Saudi Arabia are interested in deepening economic ties for mutual interests. Like the India Middle East corridor project announced at the G20

All these things are part of that stuff. India will also offer full support to Saudi Arabia for 2034 Fifa World Cup. In return Saudis will offer full support to India's 2036 Olympic bid

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Saudis won't bring anything of value.

IPL is a success due to the Indian market. It already has more financial clout than all leagues.
I'm not sure why they would want to sell such a high stake or any stake to the Saudis.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Brother @cricketjoshila

Don’t resist it. This is the future.

Eventually IPL has to and it absolutely will expand into a 15-20 team tournament spanning 6 months or so like NBA, major European leagues. It will have exclusive rights to international talent which will eventually reduce some of the other leagues to just domestic competitions or very inferior form of alternative leagues.

IPL’s expansion will be the end of bilateral cricket as we have known it.

ICC tournaments will survive.

Test cricket will eventually only be viable for the Big 3-5 depending on where the economy goes for related nations. Test cricket will become a very very exclusive club like back in the day when it started.

Tbh India could do what you have suggestef without the Saudis.

Perhaps the fear factor may motivate them .i.e what if Saudis end up investing in Australia or England domestic T20s.

 

[rhony]

Tbh India could do what you have suggestef without the Saudis.

Perhaps the fear factor may motivate them .i.e what if Saudis end up investing in Australia or England domestic T20s.

Saudis can invest whatever they want. No one can beat Indian market. Indians view games with Indian players. No Indian is going to play for a Saudi team. Simple

 

[ghalib kichlu]

Wasn't the glaziers trying to buy an ipl team too
Apparently they like the no relegation system

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Saudis can invest whatever they want. No one can beat Indian market. Indians view games with Indian players. No Indian is going to play for a Saudi team. Simple

I agree to an extent.... its highly unlikely.

But things are never as simple as you think.

3 years ago we wouldnt have imagined Benzema, Ronaldo and co kicking a ball in the Saudi desert.

As I've said the BCCI/IPL have no real need for Saudis....but perhaps there is a small chance that due to the fear factor of what could happen(however remote and unlikely) the BCCI may think its better to have them with us than someone else.

 

[topspin]

If the Saudis are ambitious about their investing habits, they should just come up with their own league that can compete with the IPL.

 

[rhony]

I agree to an extent.... its highly unlikely.

But things are never as simple as you think.

3 years ago we wouldnt have imagined Benzema, Ronaldo and co kicking a ball in the Saudi desert.

As I've said the BCCI/IPL have no real need for Saudis....but perhaps there is a small chance that due to the fear factor of what could happen(however remote and unlikely) the BCCI may think its better to have them with us than someone else.

Ronaldo, Bemzema play only in the Saudi league. All other international cricket stars already play in IPL and possibly other leagues. The only super stars that only play IPL are Indians. Indian fans care about Indian players. There won't be much viewership even if Saudis play 20 mil to Ben Stokes. Saudi league can compete with IPL if they grab Indian players and that's not going to happen.

 

[Suleiman]

Happy for our brothers in Al-Saudia. Ma Sha Allah.

It was only a matter of time. Looking forward to Babar Azam scoring 100s for fun Vs kolkata horse riders.

 

[Bewal Express]

If the Saudis are ambitious about their investing habits, they should just come up with their own league that can compete with the IPL.

Yes, invest in the PSL

 

[topspin]

Yes, invest in the PSL

I would also like to see them get IK out of jail so he can play with Asif Ali in Riyadh. This would be the master plan.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Saudi Arabia eye place at ‘centre of cricket in the Gulf’ after promising display in Oman​

After Saudi Arabia’s cricketers beat Hong Kong in the ACC Premier Cup at a picturesque ground beneath the Hajjar Mountains in a suburb of Muscat on Sunday, there was no congratulatory message from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neymar Jr was otherwise preoccupied with recuperation, as well as Al Hilal’s coming Champions League tie against Al Ain.

LIV’s golfers were probably too taken by speculation over whether Viktor Hovland or even Rory McIlroy might actually be on their way, to take notice.

And yet, just quietly, the result was a significant one for Saudi cricket. Hong Kong might be an inconsistent version of the side that once took a win off Bangladesh in a T20 World Cup. But they are still ranked 10 places above Saudi Arabia in the official ICC standings.

OK, so it was not exactly seismic, but it does represent incremental progress in Saudi Arabia’s vision to develop cricket from both outside and within.

And, according to Kabir Khan, the former Pakistan bowler who is the team’s coach, the result will have been appreciated by the right people.

“They have learnt,” Kabir said of the administrators who are overseeing the growth of the sport in the kingdom.

“Our chairman is a local prince. Our CEO if from there. They have studied cricket, so they know about the rankings, and they are supporting us fully. We have full support from the government and the [Saudi Arabian Cricket] federation.

“These matches will open their eyes to the fact the team is doing well. And when the team does well, extra support comes in.”

As yet, cricket has not had its own headline moment in Saudi Arabia of the like of Ronaldo, Neymar, et al in football, the LIV Tour in golf, or Tyson Fury prize fights in boxing.

Talk of the world’s richest cricket league being staged there, and bilateral matches between India and Pakistan, at present remains just that: talk.

Kabir thinks the arrival of “commercial cricket,” as he terms it, is just a matter of time. In the meantime, he is more closely focused on improving the country’s current stable of cricketers.

There are challenges. For instance, there are no fully-operational grass cricket fields in the country as yet. Sourcing suitable clay for wicket blocks within Saudi has not been simple, but he says there are approvals for turf grounds, which the private sector is backing.

The cricket federation have set up academies in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam. Around 80 per cent of club cricket is being played in those three cities, with approximately 500 clubs, and 12,000-15,000 registered cricketers across the country.

The standard for almost all is “fun, weekend cricket,” according to Kabir, but the building blocks are being put in place for progress, he says.

“Cricket is part of it,” Kabir said of sport’s role in Saudi Vision 2030. “We want to improve our ranking, but also host leagues and big tournaments as well to bring that soft image of the country.

“That means we are playing a double type of role. We think that we could be the centre of cricket in the Gulf region because of the vast country we have, and the sponsorship being centralised.

“The people at the top know what they are doing. They are planning for leagues, planning for international matches, and within a year or two I think we will see that, as well as our own cricket developing.

“My job is to develop cricket. Leagues will come. Commercial cricket will come. It has to come, with the country and its vision.

“But parallel to that, my mission is to improve cricket, and that is going well. Giving an amateur side 16 months ... now they are beating top teams, and giving a tough time to other top teams, is a good effort.”

The ACC Premier Cup, a 10-team event which carries with it one place at the Asia Cup next year, is the highest standard of competition Saudi Arabia have yet featured in.

Despite their win against Hong Kong, they fell just short of a place in the semi-finals after losing a rain-affected game against Nepal in the decisive fixture.

The fact they pushed Nepal close was just as indicative of the strides the side have made as the win over Hong Kong. Nepal will be playing at the T20 World Cup in the United States and Caribbean this summer, and faced the might of India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup last year.

Despite the embryonic infrastructure for the sport in the country, Saudi Arabia's progress is perhaps not entirely surprising. After all, they have a coach who has a glowing and diverse CV, which includes among its entries a successful stint as UAE coach.

His broad spectrum of experience also includes leading Afghanistan to the top tier of the world game, a spell assisting Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, as well as a stint with Pakistan’s women’s team.

He accepted an approach by the Saudis in 2021 with his eyes open. “I knew there was zero infrastructure,” he said. “There were 100 grounds, but all cement [wickets]. There was no grass, so I knew they were going to struggle on turf pitches and struggle with their fielding.

“But the numbers they had were good. They had a pool of players, and it was all about selecting them and training them.”

On the evidence of the ACC Premier Cup, his methods are still on point.

“It is a challenge for me,” Kabir, 50, said. “At my age, having done everything, you need something challenging. You can’t go with something that is already structured.

“I have been a development coach working with UAE, Afghanistan, and for all the teams I have worked with, it has been about making stars, not playing with stars.

“My job is to take teams to the top level, and make stars. I don’t want to work with readymade stars.”

He might already have a new star in his midst. Abdul Waheed, a 30-year-old fitness trainer from Riyadh, marked himself out as an opener of significant talent with a string of fine innings in Muscat.

Waheed was born and brought up in Saudi. The national teams of many Gulf countries often feature players who learnt their cricket in the subcontinent before relocating for work as adults, but the Saudi side is mostly populated by players who were brought up there.

Waheed, for example, is the son of a civil engineer who moved from Pakistan to Saudi 46 years ago. He picked up cricket via his dad and two uncles, and has only been to Pakistan twice himself.

“In my whole life I have played cricket only in Saudi Arabia, plus a couple of matches in the Qatar and Kuwait leagues,” Waheed said.

“Coming to play here [in Muscat], it does feel different for our boys. But I am using my past experience. I have made 29 international tours for Saudi Arabia.

“We also have good coaches who are working really hard with the boys. For me, it all depends on your mentality and how you play.

“If you think you are playing on cement or concrete when you are playing on turf wickets, it will be easy for anyone.”

Waheed works as a fitness trainer at Arkan Sports Academy in Riyadh, which is the first indoor cricket and multi-sports facility in Saudi.

It provides players with a more comfortable environment to hone their cricket skills than what he was afforded growing up while being coached by his uncles, Abdul Wahab and Abdul Karim.

“They were the first ones who supported me to play cricket,” he said. “Whether it was summer or any type of weather, we had to go to the ground to play cricket.

“If it was 42 degrees, 45 degrees, it didn’t matter. We had to come and play cricket. This is how I started. My uncle, Abdul Wahab was my first coach and that is how I learnt batting.”

On the evidence of Muscat, they taught him well. And, while his celebrity might not be quite that of Ronaldo, Neymar, or Salem Al Dawsari, he is proud to make a contribution to the development of sport in his country.

“Honestly, Saudi Arabia is a country which loves sports,” Waheed said.

“Ronaldo has been in Saudi Arabia, and cricket is also moving forward. As of now, we are waiting for the grounds and facilities. When that happens it will motivate other people, locals, and this is how Saudi Arabia cricket will go to the next level.

“My mission is to help bring Saudi Arabia to the next level. Still, I’m not satisfied with my performance, and I can get much better. But wins for the country are achievable for us.”

Saudi Arabia eye place at ‘centre of cricket in the Gulf’ after promising display in Oman

Coach Kabir Khan focused on ‘making stars’ as kingdom’s cricketers give good account of themselves in Asia Cup qualifier in Muscat

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