ECB and BCCI join hands to thwart global T20 league backed by Saudi Arabia!

Saudi Arabia's SRJ Sports Investments has pledged to inject USD 400m to set up a new global T20 league that would have eight teams playing four tournaments in different locations each year in a set-up that has been compared to tennis' Grand Slams.

However, it has been learnt that the ambitious Saudi T20 league, which is believed to be a USD 400 million project, won't be backed by the BCCI or the England and Wales Cricket Board.

As per reports, ECB and BCCI have joined hands to thwart the global T20 league backed by Saudi Arabia as they try to protect their respective flagship tourneys from getting diluted.

"During discussions at the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's this month, the ECB and BCCI agreed to unite in opposing the new league. The boards agreed they would not issue "no objection certificates" to their players to sign up for the new competition, as well as lobbying the International Cricket Council (ICC) to withhold their endorsement," a report published in British newspaper The Guardian reported.

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"Under plans that emerged in Australia this year, Saudi's SRJ Sports Investments has pledged to inject USD 400m to set up the new league, which would have eight teams playing four tournaments in different locations each year in a set-up that has been compared to tennis's Grand Slams," the report further added.

As per sources, IPL is a USD 12 billion product and the ECB is all set to get richer by GBP 520m (USD 700 million) from the sale of 49% of the eight 'Hundred franhises'.