India, Sept. 13 -- Recently, Saudi Arabia launched one of its most ambitious sporting and cultural initiatives, the World Cricket Festival (WCF) 2025. In November, the Kingdom will host WCF in Jeddah to combine cricket spectacle (double-wicket tournament) with concerts, cultural events and family entertainment. Over the next 18 months following the festival, flagship leagues will be in play, including a T10 league, TX Arabia, and the Gulf Premier League soft-ball tournament.

The investment in cricket is part of its Vision 2030, with the aim to establish Saudi Arabia as a global sporting hub. Apart from this game, football, Formula 1, boxing and tennis will be a part of ongoing efforts to pitch the Kingdom as a non-oil-dependent nation. W...