Saudi Arabia officially enters cricket: Why Gulf kingdom's partnership with UAE's ILT20 is signficant

Saudi Arabia has made a number of significant investments in sport through its Public Investment Fund in recent years, from football and Formula 1 to tennis and golf. It has also been eyeing a slice of cricket pie for a while now, especially in the fast-paced 20-over format in which the oil-rich gulf kingdom had recently been associated with a Grand Slam-style T20 league.

Discussions over the Grand Slam T20 league are still going on with no formal announcement made yet. Saudi Arabia, however, made its first official entry into the world of cricket on Tuesday by joining forces with neighbours United Arab Emirates (UAE) and announcing a collaboration with the International League T20 (ILT20).

The ILT20, which has hosted three seasons so far after its debut in 2023, announced a strategic alliance with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) which will allow them to host matches in Saudi Arabia. As per the deal, not only will the league conduct matches outside the UAE for the first time, women will also be part of the ILT20 from the fourth edition.

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"This is more than cricket. It’s vision, ambition, and the promise of growth."

Here’s what the leaders of DP World ILT20 and the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation had to say on this landmark partnership shaping the future of Gulf cricket.#DPWorldILT20 #WhereTheWorldPlays… pic.twitter.com/jeL1kY4wxH

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) September 30, 2025

One of the key objectives of the partnership will be to develop cricketing talent in Saudi Arabia, in addition to hosting leading cricketers on its soil. Going forward, franchises will be required to sign at least one cricketer from Saudi Arabia during player auctions.

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Why Saudi Arabia’s association with ILT20 is significant for cricket

Saudi Arabia’s massive wealth fund has allowed it to establish considerable influence across a wide variety of sports. Their acquisition of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who had joined Al-Nassr FC in early 2023 after a dramatic exit from Manchester United, led to some of the biggest names in football joining the Saudi Pro League, either as a player or as a manager.

Saudi Arabia, similarly, disrupted the world of golf by setting up LIV Golf, a professional men’s golf tour that rivals the PGA Tour and features top players such as Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, etc. The kingdom is also part of the F1 calendar, will be hosting the WTA Finals in tennis. It had also hosted the heavyweight title clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk as well as their subsequent rematch.

One, therefore, wonders if Saudi Arabia will have a similar influence in cricket, where India wields considerable influence as the single biggest contributor to the International Cricket Council’s annual revenue.

India had surpassed England and Australia as the sport’s most powerful nation over the last two decades, thanks primarily to the resounding success of the Indian Premier League. And multi-nation tournaments organised by the ICC or the Asian Cricket Council are usually conducted keeping the Indian team and their fierce rivalry with Pakistan in mind.

Whether Saudi Arabia will be able to challenge India’s authority in cricket is something that only time will tell. However, it is also worth noting that five of the six ILT20 franchises have owners who are also part of the IPL or the Women’s Premier League, or both.

The only team that’s not owned by an IPL or WPL franchise is Desert Vipers, which is owned by Lancer Capital LLC – the organisation that is chaired by Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer.

Additionally, the BCCI had recently collaborated with Saudi Arabia by hosting last year's mega auction in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia will no doubt be hoping to raise its profile as a cricketing nation through this venture. nd with a majority of the franchises Indian-owned, a direct face-off with the BCCI appears unlikely for now, though it cannot entirely be ruled out in the future.