Saudi Arabia Set to Launch Bigger Cricket League Than IPL? Major Update Revealed

Cricket has recently emerged as one of the fastest-growing sports globally with an audience cutting across both small and big nations. Recently, Saudi Arabia shot to fame when it hosted the IPL 2024 Mega Auction in Jeddah, where fortunes changed for many of the players involved.

Saudi Arabia Denies IPL Rival League, Confirms Future IPL Hosting

However, there had been a buzz going around that Saudi Arabia would be launching an even more voluminous cricket league than the IPL, a rumor that now seems to be well buried by the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF).

Prince of Saudi Arabia Claims No Plan for a Bigger League Than IPL

Recently, Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud-the president of SACF-refuted rumors talking about a possible mega cricket league taking place in the country. He issued an official statement rejecting such claims and told everyone that Saudi Arabia was not planning to host a cricket league to match the IPL. As Prince Saud spoke during the IPL 2024 auction, he dismissed the rumors as untrue.

However, it was stated that Saudi would not be starting a new league, but they were willing to allow the IPL matches to be held there in the future. He added that in the coming years, the Saudi government, SACF, and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) would sit down and discuss the possibility of Saudi Arabia being an IPL games venue.
 
New Cricket Stadium for Jeddah

Prince Saud confirmed that a state-of-the-art stadium is going to be built in Jeddah for cricket. This is part of Saudi Arabia's overall plans regarding the promotion of cricket in the region. He thanked BCCI Secretary Jay Shah for the purpose of conducting the IPL auction in the kingdom while appreciating the collaboration between BCCI and the Saudi government that made such an event possible.

The event in Saudi Arabia was a first of its kind by the country, hosting this specific IPL auction. Prior to this, the IPL auctions had taken place in the UAE, but this is evident to be an involvement of Saudi Arabia in this way due to their increasing interest in cricket. The new stadium in Jeddah is expected to be one of the hubs for international cricket, solidifying Saudi Arabia's position in the global cricketing space. While Saudi Arabia may not be building a brand-new cricket league in competition with the IPL, the investments made so far and the plans for future collaborations with the IPL do point to the fact that the country is preparing for some significant developments in the world of cricket.