BCCI and England Board Unite to Protect IPL and The Hundred, Set to Oppose Saudi T20 League - Reports

The India vs England Test series was always expected to be a hotly-contested affair on the field, and the fact that the first Test of the five-game series at Headingley went down to the final day was proof of that. Both the BCCI and the ECB are among the richest cricket boards in the world, and thus boast some of the top cricketers in the world. 

However, off the field it seems the two warring boards have taken a stance to stand with each other in the face of a looming threat to the world of franchise cricket, seen as the game's big meal ticket at present. 

This is because the ECB and BCCI are reportedly set to join hands to oppose the rumoured Saudi T20 League. 

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BCCI and ECB Go Into Self-preservation Mode

News reports have suggested that the Saudi's SRJ Sports Investment was keen to set up a new T20 league and would be willing to inject as much as $400 million - Rs. 3442 crore approximately - into this new league.

This new league would have 8 teams playing 4 tournaments at separate locations each year, in a system that is akin to the tennis Grand Slams format. 

However, any such league will not have Indian or English players participate as the ECB and BCCI have agreed to not issue No-objection Certificates or NOCs to players for this prospective league. 

What's more, a report in the UK newspaper The Guardian suggests the two boards will lobby the ICC to withhold recognition to the league. 

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Why The Opposition to Saudi T20 League?

The reason is simple - the IPL is a league that is valued at around $12 billion currently and the ECB just earned a lot of money with the partial sale of franchises in their ‘Hundred’ tournament. 

That earning potential would be significantly altered if the Saudis entered the market as they would have the resources to easily create a league to rival any of the top tournaments in the world. 

It's also worth noting that Saudi investment totally disrupted the sport of golf with the LIV Tour before it merged with the PGA Tour instead of being a rival set-up. 

Cricket would be keen to avoid a similar fate and that is perhaps another reason for the opposition.