England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and India counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur are among the players set to be approached to play in the Women's World T20 Challenge
A deal has been signed to launch a lucrative women's T20 tournament in Saudi Arabia next year featuring the world's top cricketers.
BBC Sport understands the best players from countries including England, Australia and India will now be approached to take part in the six-team event, known as the Women's World T20 Challenge.
The inaugural tournament will take place in a two-week window – likely in September or October – shortly after the 2026 edition of The Hundred but before Australia's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).
The tournament, which has been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), will operate under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) after they signed a strategic deal with FairBreak Global to manage and run it.
FairBreak is a private company founded in 2013 that aims to improve gender equality in sport, and told BBC Sport the tournament is a "truly significant step" for "women's cricket worldwide".
"This is about building something meaningful, with real momentum and global relevance," it said.
"It's giving opportunities to people, irrespective of who they are and from which background they come from."
A women's cricket tournament in Saudi Arabia will undoubtedly raise a moral dilemma for some players given same-sex sexual activity is illegal there.
Under the deal the tournament will be held in the Middle Eastern country for five years, with it set to get a permanent slot in the international calendar.
FairBreak previously held T20 invitational tournaments in Dubai and Hong Kong in 2022 and 2023 which attracted the likes of England players Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone.
Those events also included the best players from outside full member nations, including cricketers from places as diverse as Brazil, Nepal, Rwanda, Papua New Guinea and Germany.
Former FairBreak chief executive Cheryll Rogers put many of the foundations for the Women's World T20 Challenge in place before her departure in August 2025.
Organisers anticipate more than 35 nations will be represented at the 2026 tournament, with a roughly even split of players from full member nations and Associate countries.
In keeping with FairBreak's philosophy, players will be allocated to the teams by a selection panel rather than via an auction.
There will be six teams, each with a squad of 15 players for the 19-match tournament which will include a round-robin stage before two semis and a final.
The specifics of the salary model are yet to be formalised but it is anticipated there will be three or four wage brackets for players.
BBC Sport understands the top players will pick up salaries which are comparable to what they earn in The Hundred and the WBBL, albeit pro rata for a shorter tournament.
The Hundred's top players earned £65,000 in 2025 (increasing to about £100,000 in 2026) and £54,000 in this year's WBBL.
That is still some way behind India's Women's Premier League where England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt picked up £320,000 last year.
The medium and lower salary brackets for the Saudi venture will be between £3,800 and £15,000 – a significant figure for players from Associate countries, many of whom do not make a living from the game.
Any England players who wish to take part would require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
NOCs have been a source of contention in men's cricket, but with fewer T20 tournaments in the women's game it is not thought likely to be an issue.
Saudi Arabia's women's team do not have an ICC ranking having played just five T20s – all in March 2022 – while their men's team are currently 32nd
The prospect of a women's T20 tournament in Saudi Arabia comes on the back of game-changing wider sporting investments made by the country in recent years.
Saudi Arabia have been members of the ICC since 2003 with its federation headed by Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud, who serves as its president and chairman.
The Gulf state has already made waves in cricket with strategic deals and major sponsorships, and Prince Saud said last year the aim was to "make cricket a major sport in Saudi Arabia".
SACF signed a strategic agreement, external with the UAE-based International League T20 (ILT20) in September which will allow them to stage games in Saudi Arabia.
In May 2024 the ICC signed a global partnership with Aramco, the country's state-funded oil company, until 2027 following an initial 18-month term.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) includes Aramco and Visit Saudi among its sponsors, and the 2025 auction was held in Jeddah.
This year it was reported, external the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) officials were planning to invest £390m in a 'grand slam' men's T20 franchise league.
Construction has already begun on a stadium in the capital Riyadh with further grounds planned for Jeddah and Yanbu, and FairBreak is planning to provide female-only spaces and prayer rooms at venues.
FairBreak hopes the tournament will also "create new opportunities for Saudi women to participate in the sport", while "strengthening pathways for local players, officials, and administrators to engage with the global game".
They believe it will balance the lack of global tournaments for women compared with the men's game.
"No other cricket tournament provides an opportunity for so many players to play together, and all the continents represented," it added.
Saudi Arabia's 'Vision 2030' plan has made sport a key element in diversifying the country's economy beyond a reliance on oil.
Cricket's governing body in Saudi Arabia said: "This milestone introduces the Kingdom's first professional women's cricket event, further advancing the sport's development, empowering female participation, and expanding avenues of international collaboration in alignment with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030."
However, Saudi involvement in sport is not without considerable controversy.
Critics say it is being used to gain legitimacy and deflect attention from controversy over the country's human rights record and its impact on the environment, a practice known as 'sportswashing'.
Hosting a women's cricket tournament held in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex sexual activity is illegal, will inevitably present a moral dilemma for some of the sport's openly gay players.
During the league's planning and development a consultation process took place in a bid to allay concerns over various issues, including the involvement of players in same-sex relationships.
Views were sought from former and current international cricketers along with those already involved in women's sports in Saudi Arabia including Judy Murray, who is promoting tennis there.
Visit Saudi, the country's official tourism promotion program, says all visitors are welcome, are not required to disclose their personal information and will have their right to privacy respected.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice states that while same-sex relations are illegal, "legal action is uncommon".
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Saudi Arabia: Lucrative women's T20 league featuring players from England, Australia and India to launch in 2026 – BBC
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