Saudi Arabia is set to invest a staggering USD 500 million into a brand-new global T20 league, poised to challenge the supremacy of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The league, dubbed the ‘Grand Slam Of Cricket’, will follow a tennis Grand Slam format, featuring teams assembling four times a year in different countries.
The brainchild of Neil Maxwell, a former Australian cricketer, the league aims to generate a new revenue stream to support weaker cricket boards and preserve Test cricket. The Australian Cricketers’ Association has proposed the idea, with SRJ Sports Investments, headed by Danny Townsend, set to be the primary investor.
The league will feature new franchises, including teams from Australia and Saudi Arabia, with men’s and women’s competitions.
There is no official update on the league but according to reports, the league will not clash with any major T20 tournament and would be played in a separate window.
The competition is envisaged to consist of a format of four tournaments a year of around two weeks each, to be played by the same eight teams and hosted in different countries. Australia is thought to be primed to host one of the competitions and Saudi Arabia would expect to host matches too.
The final is expected to be staged in Saudi Arabia, although the league’s organizers face significant challenges, including obtaining permission from the Australian Cricket Board, the ICC, and convincing cricket boards, particularly the BCCI, to allow their players to participate.
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