Saudi Arabia to launch franchise league ‘Dunes League T20’ with Yuvraj Singh as ambassador

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to dip its toes in cricket after launching its very own franchise league named ‘Dunes League T20’ with former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh as the ambassador, featuring six teams. 

The league has officially been sanctioned by the Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation (SACF), and is expected to feature overseas players who have retired from international cricket but remain regulars in the franchise circuit around the world. According to SACF, the league will serve the purpose of putting Saudi Arabia on the cricketing map whilst serving as a pathway for Saudi cricketers to improve their skills.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the league is expected to feature a maximum of four players who have played Full-Member international cricket in the last two years, which will be under the ICC threshold but not needing approval from cricket’s governing body. The maximum salaries could reach upwards of USD 100,000.

The tournament is set to commence in October 2026, with matches to take place in Taif, near Jeddah. The tournament has been launched in partnership with Sports Asian Network, along with two talent agencies in the form of Unique Sports Group and Prolithic. The latter manages India’s Abhishek Sharma, who acts as a mentee to Yuvraj.

The country of Saudi Arabia is widely regarded as one of the biggest disrupters in modern sports. The country first came into prominence on the world stage when they invested heavily in their domestic football league, the Saudi Pro League, by signing some of the biggest names from the footballing world, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. 

Saudi Arabia has slowly started to embrace cricket, thanks to sponsorship deals with the ICC and hosting the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Jeddah. The Dunes League T20 will be the second franchise tournament in the Middle East, which already has the presence of the International League T20 (ILT20) played in the United Arab Emirates.