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The Indian Premier League, or the IPL for short, is the greatest cricket extravaganza on earth. But how long will it continue to hold that tag? Reports emanating from Saudi Arabia state that a worldwide cricket League is being planned which may rival the IPL and even surpass it after a few years.
The oil-rich nation is making a significant investment in cricket with plans to launch a global T20 league worth $500 million. The proposed eight-team tournament has been inspired by the Grand Slams of tennis and modelled along similar lines. The tournament will feature matches played across four different locations worldwide each year. The league will feature both men’s and women’s competitions.
So in that sense, it will have a different structural format as compared to the IPL where only Indian men’s teams are in the fray with foreign players included.
The Saudi government has been aggressively involving itself in the expansion of global sports and wants to be seen as the world’s top sports destination. In football, it has roped in the biggest names such as Cristiano Ronaldo and others. It has invested heavily in LIV Golf and Formula 1 motor racing. Saudi Arabia has also secured the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Hence this new plan involving a worldwide T20 cricket league will further boost its influence in the sports world.
Involvement of Aussie Neil Maxwell
One of the key men who are behind this initiative is Neil Maxwell, a former Australian first-class cricketer, who later became a financial agent for several Australian cricketers such as Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, and Pat Cummins. Neil Maxwell has been working with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to develop the Saudi league as an exciting new event in world sports with a much greater potential than the present IPL.
The Saudi league could generate new revenues for world cricket create more funds for organisations and teams and further enhance the earnings of individual players. Cricket viewership may find more markets beyond the dominant countries like India, Australia, and England.
Minimal disruption to cricket calendar
The organisers of the new league want to structure their tournament in such a way that there will be minimal disruption of the calendar of international matches and domestic T20 leagues including the IPL and Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). The final of the event will be staged in Saudi Arabia, highlighting the country’s ambition to become a major cricket destination.
This new league could have a significant impact on the sport, particularly for smaller cricketing nations that presently face financial struggles. The league will be designed to distribute revenue evenly, thus providing more funds for the small nations. However, the success of the Saudi league will depend on ICC approval and support from national cricket boards. So the ball is now in the ICC’s court and as soon as the cricket body gives the nod, the new league will become a reality.
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