Cricket Cricket

'Habibi..paisa leke aati' - Fans react as Saudi Arabia proposes investment of 5 Million Dollars in Indian Premier League

A few of the editions of the Indian Premier League have been played in Saudi Arabia in the past when India faced events like general elections and the covid outbreak.

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Mathew K
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Indian Cricket Board President Roger Binny with Saudi Arabia dignitaries (File Photo, Twitter)

Indian Cricket Board President Roger Binny with Saudi Arabia dignitaries (File Photo, Twitter)

In a recent piece of news, Saudi Arabia has come up with an interest in investing a huge amount in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League 2024. Apart from that, the reports also suggest that Saudi Arabia is looking ahead to buy a big stake in the cash-rich Indian franchise tournament.

An adviser of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on the condition of anonymity, said that that the talks were done during the India visit of the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

“While the Saudi government is keen to press on with a deal, the Indian government and the country’s powerful but opaque cricket regulator — BCCI — are likely to take a call on the proposal after next year’s federal elections, the people said. The BCCI is led by Jay Shah, the son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah — a close ally of Premier Narendra Modi,” reads a report by Bloomberg.

“Saudi Arabia’s powerful sovereign wealth fund, which has anchored many of the kingdom’s previous sports investments, could ultimately be the vehicle used to do a deal with the BCCI if an agreement is reached. No final decisions have yet been made,” the report adds further.

"You can’t compete with money." - England captain Ben Stokes on Saudi Arabia's involvement in cricket leagues

Earlier, the England Test captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes had also spoken about the involvement of Saudi Arabia in the cash-rich franchise cricket leagues.

“You can’t compete with money, especially the money that Saudi Arabia is throwing around to certain people,” said Stokes to Bloomberg earlier this year.

Notably, the inception of the Indian Premier League 15 years back in the year 2008 has been followed by the start of a lot of franchise cricket leagues in the cricketing world, including the likes of the Caribbean Premier League, SA20 League, and a lot more.

Here’s how fans reacted to the news of Saudi Arabia’s potential investment in Indian Premier League: 

Indian Premier League Featured Saudi Arabia