ECB opposes Saudi-backed T20 league idea

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed the idea of a Saudi-funded global T20 league, citing a packed schedule as a key reason.

A Sydney Morning Herald report on Saturday revealed that the global T20 event would feature eight teams across four different locations, backed by Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

However, ECB chief Richard Gould rejected the proposal, emphasizing busy international schedule and player workload management.

“With the busy international calendar, a host of established franchise leagues around the world, and existing concerns about player workloads, there is no scope or demand for such an idea,” Gould told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.

“It’s not something that we would support,” he added.

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The proposed league dubbed the ‘Grand Slam of Cricket’, is designed to mirror tennis Grand Slam format, with teams competing four times a year in different countries.

Notably, the ECB remains focused on protecting its 100-ball tournament, The Hundred, especially after raising $1.27 billion last month after through private franchise investments.

For the unversed, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is widely regarded as the pinnacle of franchise cricket, while Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates also have their own T20 leagues.

It is pertinent to mention that the Australian Cricketers Association(ACA) has supported Saudia Arabia’s idea of T20 league, citing potential benefits for players.

“The ACA’s early interest in exploring this concept is motivated by a desire to develop and normalise best-practice collective bargaining and an international gender-equity pay model for male and female cricketers,” the player’s union was quoted as saying in the report.

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