Saudi Arabia's Dunes T20 league to launch in October
[Getty Images] A new men's T20 tournament is set to launch in Saudi Arabia later this year with organisers confident it will go ahead despite the Iran war. The Dunes T20 is scheduled be played in October and represents the Gulf state's first official foray into professional cricket. The league is being organised following an agreement between the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation, an entertainment company called the South Asian Network, and two sports agencies - Unique Sports and Prolithic.
Franchise regulars such as Alex Hales and Jason Roy are understood to be among the English players that will be sounded out about taking part. Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has been signed up as an ambassador for the league with the 4,000 capacity Taif Cricket Ground near Jeddah earmarked as the likely venue. The league is not connected to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) which is cutting back on some of its overseas sporting investments as part of a strategic restructuring.
Sources close to the event have told BBC Sport the six-team league is seen as an early proactive step towards establishing a major franchise tournament in Saudi Arabia aimed at the world's top players in the future. Prospective franchise owners are being encouraged to see the tournament as a vehicle for expanding business relations with Saudi Arabia, outside of cricket, with interest anticipated from the United States, India, United Arab Emirates and elsewhere. A women's T20 tournament in Saudi Arabia featuring the game's top players - the Women's World T20 Challenge - scheduled for later this year was recently postponed until 2027 due to concerns over safety in light of the conflict in Iran.
However, it is believed that players canvassed by the Dunes T20 have indicated a willingness to travel to the country provided tensions in the Middle East do no escalate further. Saudi Arabia's men's team are currently 32nd in the International Cricket Council's T20 rankings. [BBC]