Saudi Cricket announce new Women’s T20 Challenge in partnership with FairBreak as first pro Women’s League in Saudi.
Saudi Cricket and FairBreak announce new Women’s World T20 Challenge.
The Women’s World T20 Challenge will be held in Saudi Arabia starting in 2026 thanks to a five-year agreement between FairBreak and Saudi Cricket. It is scheduled to be Saudi Arabia’s first professional women’s cricket competition. According to a statement from Saudi Cricket and FairBreak, players from over 35 nations will compete.
The FairBreak Global Invitational T20 was held in Dubai in 2022 and Hong Kong in 2023 by FairBreak, a private corporation that was established in 2013 with the goal of advancing gender equality in sports. In the USA, a third edition was scheduled for 2023, but it was first delayed until 2024 and ultimately fell through.
The ICC completely approved the FairBreak Invitational, which featured six teams. International celebrities including Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Sophie Ecclestone, and Chamari Athapaththu were among them. Nevertheless, the Indian players did not receive No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the BCCI. Additionally, it is currently unknown if any Indian players would participate in the upcoming T20 competition.
According to the announcement, the new T20 league is “in alignment with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030” and aims to develop women’s cricket talent through organised training programs and pathways, increase public awareness and motivate the next generation of players, improve international cooperation, and attract players from over 35 countries.
Saudi Arabia will become more visible on the cricket globe thanks to the Women’s World T20 Challenge. In 2024, Jeddah hosted the IPL auction and was prepared to support a new Grand Slam-style circuit of Twenty20 competitions. In the upcoming ILT20 seasons, Saudi Arabia will also host a few matches.