There was a huge uproar on social media when there were reports floating around that the Saudi Arabian country has approached the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises regarding the making of a T20 league in Saudi Arabia which will be the richest cricket league in the world.
Several people had mixed opinions about it as they felt that the monopoly of the apex body of Indian cricket, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) would die down. According to The Age, 6 out of the 10 IPL franchises had agreed upon buying franchises for the new Saudi Arabia T20 League.
Recently, Saudi Arabia had grabbed the limelight of the sports world when Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr signed in talismanic footballer forward Cristiano Ronaldo for a whopping fee of 200 million euros.
BCCI adamant on decision to not send Indian players
The BCCI has now shrugged off reports of them giving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Indian players for this franchise league. According to a BCCI official, the cricket board will stick to its policy of not allowing Indian players to play in any other T20 franchise league in the world.
“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,” said a BCCI official to Cricbuzz.
“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. 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,” said a BCCI official to Indian Express.
Notably, several IPL franchises such as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have invested in teams in different T20 leagues across the world.
Saudi Arabia presently doesn’t have many good and solid cricketing infrastructures and would be on the move to make some.
“Our aim is to create a sustainable industry for locals and expats living in the Kingdom and make Saudi Arabia a global cricketing destination,” said Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud has been quoted as saying by Arab News.
Also read: IPL 2023: Wriddhiman Saha & David Miller Complete Major Milestones After PBKS vs GT Game
