The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has opposed the idea of a Saudi-backed global Twenty20 league, stating that the international cricket schedule is already too crowded to accommodate another tournament.
A report in the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund planned to finance an eight-team league across four locations.
However, ECB chief executive Richard Gould dismissed the proposal, emphasizing that the sport already has multiple franchise leagues worldwide and that player workload remains a concern.
The ECB is prioritizing its own 100-ball competition, The Hundred, which recently secured $1.27 billion in private investment.
The league has become a key focus for English cricket’s growth in the franchise format.
Franchise-based T20 leagues have gained global popularity, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) setting the standard.
Other countries, including Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, the West Indies, and the United Arab Emirates, have also established their own tournaments.
While the ECB has rejected the Saudi-backed initiative, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has shown interest, highlighting its commitment to developing collective bargaining systems and gender pay equity in cricket.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s increasing investment in sports, opposition from major cricket boards like the ECB may present challenges for the proposed T20 league’s success.