After having established a relationship with the Indian cricket board BCCI-organised mega tourney Indian Premier League, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) is exploring the possibilities whether IPL matches could be played in Saudi Arabia.

The partnership with IPL was announced yesterday in Mumbai in the presence of top BCCI and STA executives, including Indian cricket board’s secretary Jay Shah.

“Saudi Arabia is opening up and they want millions of people visiting the country. We welcome them as our partners, as this will strengthen our ties. They also have a cricket stadium, so we can have matches,” said Rajeev Shukla, Vice-President, BCCI.

According to media reports, Saudis are anticipating tapping into the IPL fan base with the official partnership. Saudi Arabian entities and business houses have invested heavily in sports all round the globe, including having ownerships of European football clubs. Recently, a Saudi football club purchased soccer star Christano Ronaldo’s services for over $ 300 million.

“Cricket is like religion in India and we know IPL is big and it has access to billions of fan bases across the world. We are exploring all options on how to maximise partnership with IPL. We are in discussion with BCCI on the opportunities available. As part of our global marketing strategy, the Indian subcontinent is a key market and we are continually enhancing ways in which we can excite tourists and welcome them to Saudi,” said Alhasan Aldabbagh, APAC President at Saudi Tourism Authority.

According to Shah, “It’s an exciting prospect that the Saudi Tourism Authority has immense faith in the power of IPL to bring countries together. We believe that the partnership will help promote Saudi’s unique and diverse offering, and position it as the leading leisure and tourism destination in the world.”