Abu Dhabi: Twenty teams have confirmed their participation for the fourth edition of the United Bank Limited (UBL) Twenty20 cricket tournament, which begins here in the capital from December 9.
"The 20 teams have been divided into four groups and the tournament will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis," said Dilawar Mani, CEO of Emirates Cricket Board and the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, at a press conference held at the Royal Le Meridien Hotel on Tuesday night.
"The T20 format has rapidly become a favourite with both the players and the spectators. The T20 format attracts an aggressive approach to the game and also creates excitement. It has also been seen as an instrument of talent discovery leading to players being invited to represent the UAE in this format," Mani said.
Wajahat Hussain, senior vice-president of the UBL, stated that they were extremely delighted with this partnership with Abu Dhabi Cricket Council with the opportunity to support the spread and development of the game amongst all cricket lovers across the UAE.
The tournament comprises 47 games including 40 round matches, quarter finals, semi-finals and the final to be played under floodlights at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Groupings
- Group A: Phoenix Medicine, Yogi Group, Nissan Al Masaood Automobiles, Eurocon Alubond, ECB Blues
- Group B: UBL, Thrifty Rental, Abu Dhabi Airport Technology, Royal Gymkhana, HFVCC
- Group C: William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana, Grand Millennium Al Wahda, Etihad Flyers, Petroleum Institute, Adgas
- Group D: Seven Seas, Abu Dhabi Airport Services, Ibsons, New Medical Centre, Adma-Opco.
- Two from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
