Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment is backing a new global Twenty20 cricket league and is prepared to pump US$500 million into the project, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).
The upstart competition would reportedly consist of eight teams and be modelled on tennis and its Grand Slams, with teams to assemble and play matches in four different locations during the year.
Discussions are purportedly underway with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the concept is the brainchild of Neil Maxwell, a former first-class cricketer who manages Australian captain Pat Cummins (pictured above).
The SMH adds that the new league has been developed in partnership with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which represents current and former players. SURJ, which is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), would be the largest backer in a consortium of investors.
Rather than clash with international cricket and existing domestic T20 tournaments, the new league would reportedly be played in vacant windows in the calendar. The teams would be new franchises and be based in cricket-playing nations and new markets. There would be men’s and women’s competitions, with the finals potentially being staged in Saudi Arabia.
