IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has clarified that Saudi Arabia has made no formal proposal to invest in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or launch a global T20 league. However, he confirmed that the kingdom’s interest in cricket is real, as speculation about Saudi involvement continues to build across the industry.
No Saudi proposal, but growing interest in cricket
Talking to ESPNCricinfo amid reports linking Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and sports entity SURJ to a potential global T20 “Grand Slam” circuit, Dhumal emphasized that no official engagement has taken place with the IPL or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“It can’t be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because there is no proposal to be discussed; it is just media speculation,” said Dhumal. “There’s nothing that we can do about media speculating.”
Although Aramco, Visit Saudi, and Neom have already sponsored cricket events, Dhumal denied any direct discussions with the IPL regarding ownership or investments.
“There has been a lot of speculation… I would want to categorically deny any of that,” he said. “The idea was to give them a flavour of what IPL is all about.”
Jeddah auction aimed at visibility, not a Saudi deal
The recent decision to host the IPL mega-auction in Jeddah led to widespread industry speculation. But Dhumal noted that it was aimed at providing exposure—not forming a business partnership.
“Saudi Cricket is part of the ICC. They’re wanting to make some investments in cricket… There’s a lot of aspiration and demand for more cricket activity there,” Dhumal explained.
He added that hosting the auction was meant to inspire government investment in infrastructure, similar to the UAE model.
“So it’ll give the confidence for the government there to invest more… We’ve seen how cricket has grown in UAE with the infrastructure they have created,” he said.
Expanding the IPL footprint—cautiously
While there are no immediate plans to take IPL matches overseas, Dhumal left the door open for future initiatives. “If that makes sense… it can be thought of. But no discussion as of now.”
He also acknowledged the potential return of the Champions League T20, last played in 2014.
“It was done before the opportune time… If it creates value for cricket at a global stage, definitely we can look at that.”
Franchises go global—but Indian players stay local
Eight of the ten IPL franchises now have investments in overseas leagues, including in the UAE, South Africa and reportedly The Hundred in England. Dhumal sees this as a positive reflection of India’s leadership in cricket.
“We are very happy with the contributions that our franchises… have done to grow this game across the globe,” he said.
However, when it comes to Indian players featuring in foreign leagues, the BCCI’s position remains unchanged.
“IPL being a premium tournament, that exclusivity would definitely be there… Nothing has been discussed so far,” Dhumal stated. “Going forward, in case there’s scope, we will take all considerations into account.”
