Jeddah: Saudi Arabia will have to wait for hosting a major cricketing event till the required infrastructure is built for the sport majorly played by the South Asian expats in the Kingdom, indicated sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal.
As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia wants to become a hub of sporting events and has already invested heavily in Formula 1, golf and is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034.
Al-Faisal’s comments on cricket come after reports stated that a Saudi Arabia-backed global T20 cricket league is in the works.
“So, we have a big participation in cricket, for instance, especially because we have a lot of Asian expats that live in the Kingdom,” said Al-Faisal on the sidelines of the fifth Saudi Arabian Grand Prix here.
“I think in the cricket league (domestic structure) we have around 35,000 (registered) players already, 90% of them are not Saudi, but we want to accommodate that because they live here, we want to provide for them.
“So, does it mean we’re going to host a big cricket tournament or match in the future? Maybe, but we’ll see how it goes towards that, and if it makes sense to host these events,” he said.
The sports minister said the feasibility of hosting a big ticket cricket event will increase when the planned city of Qiddiya is ready.
Part of the mega project is a racetrack, which is expected to be completed by 2027 following construction delays, but it is not known yet if a cricket facility will be constructed there.
“I think the biggest thing that we’re struggling with now, and we’re developing, we just need time to wait for that, is the infrastructure.
“A lot of the sports are, you know, we’re investing heavily in the local infrastructure. Qiddiya, when it finishes, hopefully it will host a lot of these sporting facilities that will help us to accommodate a lot of other sports,” added Al-Faisal.
It is worth mentioning that Saudi Arabia hosted the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Jeddah last year.
The country’s tourism body was also one of the major sponsors of the 2023 edition of the IPL, the world’s biggest cricket league.
Saudi Arabia is also an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and a full member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Last month, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal had dismissed speculations over a Saudi funded T20 league.
“There is no point discussing something on the basis of speculation. There is nothing on the table for discussion with everyone (all stakeholders).
“And as far as my knowledge goes, there is no infrastructure as of now in Saudi Arabia that can cater to a tournament of this scale,” Dhumal had told PTI.
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