A rebooted FairBreak Invitational is edging closer, with organisers now talking up a five-year run in Saudi Arabia from 2026 and, rather grandly, the chance to become “the Wimbledon of cricket”.
FairBreak’s managing director, Ramasamy Venkatesh, set out the broad plan this week. “It’s an event played in one city, one stadium, with one hotel where everybody stays and it’s over in two weeks,” Venkatesh told ESPNcricinfo. Such a set-up, he argues, will allow players to mix informally every day – brushing shoulders with the likes of Shabnim Ismail or Katherine Sciver-Brunt at breakfast – and those conversations, he says, can be “invaluable”.
The reworked tournament keeps the core FairBreak idea: six evenly balanced squads, each half drawn from Full-Member nations and half from Associates. There is no auction; instead, a small selection panel builds the lists and salaries are fixed in four bands – US$20,000 down to US$5,000. Venkatesh insists those numbers are a floor, not a ceiling. “Our interest is always to increase the compensation to the women to make it more remunerative for them because we want the girls to be paid equally as men. That’s our long-term vision. If we get enough sponsorships to support an increase in pay, the first thing we’ll do this time is to increase the pay for the women.”
All six teams will remain FairBreak-owned, though title sponsors are being courted. Previous backers included the Barmy Army; fresh partners could unlock higher wage bands and broader marketing reach. FairBreak and domestic body Cricket Saudi have already applied for ICC approval, a step that usually takes time but tends to be straightforward if a local board is on side.
The proposed September-October window is deliberate. It dodges the Women’s Hundred and slides in just before the WBBL, leaving space for India’s centrally contracted players, who so far have been absent from FairBreak events because of clashes with domestic duties. The precedent is promising: Indian women have received No-Objection Certificates for overseas T20 leagues in the past, and conversations with the BCCI are said to be ongoing.
Recruitment will remain eclectic. Previous editions featured 35 nationalities, from established internationals such as Hayley Matthews to less heralded talents from Rwanda and Vanuatu. That mix, organisers believe, enriches the cricket and the dressing-room culture. Coaches have often remarked that associate players return home sharper and more confident after sharing nets with seasoned pros.
Observers will note that Saudi Arabia’s role raises questions. Women’s sport there is growing fast but is still navigating social change. FairBreak’s founders – Lisa Sthalekar and Shaun Martyn – say the goal is simple: use the available funding to stage a high-class women’s event and, in the process, give associate cricketers meaningful exposure. The hope is that investment, rather than lip service, will shift the needle.
There are practical hurdles. Centralised accommodation might ease logistics but will test organisers on everything from dietary requirements to training schedules. Weather in the Gulf at that time of year also needs careful planning, though late-evening starts are likely.
Still, for a project born only in 2013 and first staged as a full tournament in 2022, the ambition is striking. If the ICC signs off, visas land on time and sponsors step up, FairBreak could become a satisfying fixture on the women’s calendar – perhaps not Wimbledon just yet, but a tournament that gives players, especially those outside the big boards, a genuine payday and a competitive stage.
