Action stations as Abu Dhabi T10 begins to take shape
Draw for the third edition of the November tournament takes place
Dubai: The draw for the Abu Dhabi T10 League was held yesterday, during a colourful function in the presence of all team owners, at the JW Marriott Marquis.
The logos of the participating teams were also released before the owners unveiled the Abu Dhabi T10 Trophy for which eight teams will contest from November 14 to 24 at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium.
‘Best cricketers’
This third edition of the league is licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board and approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Department of Culture & Tourism Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Sports Council are supporting the event.
Mubashir Usmani, general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, addressing the gathering said: “We always strive to develop cricket and the event has been successfully held here during the last two years. We expect the Abu Dhabi T10 League to be held in Abu Dhabi to be as successful as the earlier editions.”
Shaji Ul Mulk, the chairman of the T10 League, who unveiled the trophy, is hopeful that the league will be closely contested like the earlier editions.
“We have the best cricketers from around the world that will be contesting in this league and hence all the matches will be closely contested,” he said. “The draw has set the stage for an exciting third edition.”
Rizwan Sajan, who is owner of Delhi Bulls and was named as the Team Owners’ representative said: “When the league’s first edition was discussed with me by Shaji, I conveyed to his that this league will be a huge success. I am sure this league will go a long way.”
The eight teams were divided into two groups in the draw. Bangla Tigers, Deccan Gladiators, Delhi Bulls and Karnataka Tuskers were pitted together in Group A, while Group B comprises Maratha Arabians, Qalandars, Northern Warriors and Team 8 (whose name will be revealed in the coming days). Bangla Tigers and Qalandars are the new teams.
Qalandars are owned by Atif Rana, who won the hearts of cricket fans as owner of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Lahore Qalandars. Bangla Tigers are owned by Yasin Chowdhury and Shirazuddin Alam.
Watson, Morgan are in
Maratha Arabian owners are Parvez Khan, Ali Tumbi and Rajzu Iyer, while Delhi Bulls are owned by Rizwan Sajan and Neelesh Bhatnagar. The Rajputs team, which will be known as Karnataka Tuskers, is owned by Vijaya Vyas and Arvind Reddy. Northern Warriors owners are Mohammad Morani and Shabaz Elias. Deccan Gladiators are being owned by Gaurav Grover.
Star players Shane Watson, Eoin Morgan and India’s Zaheer Khan will be in action. All twenty-nine Abu Dhabi T10 matches will be broadcast live on Sony Pictures Network.