Dubai: Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriors and Desert Vipers have announced their star cast for the UAE Twenty20 League to be held in January next year.
Desert Vipers became the sixth team to unveil their marquee players and the rest who would be ready to spit their venom on the cricket field. Vipers have a balanced squad with some impressive Twenty20 specialists and along with them the mystery spinner Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka. Tom Moody is the Director of Cricket for Vipers.
“We are excited to be part of the UAE International League Twenty20 as we set out on our cricket journey. This tournament will have a transformative effect on cricket in the region and Lance Capital is proud to be part of such a strong ownership group in the ground-breaking collaboration… We eagerly look forward to the inaugural edition of ILT20,” said Phil Oliver, CEO, Desert Vipers in a statement.
James Foster, Head Coach of Desert Vipers, said: “Working with such a quality group of players is hugely exciting and I can’t wait to get started with Desert Vipers. This tournament will contain a lot of competitive and entertaining cricket and I look forward to our squad playing a full role in that.”
Talented England all-rounder Moeen Ali, former world No 1 Twenty20 player Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Mohammad Nabi and Chris Woakes form the strong base of international stars in Sharjah Warriors squad, that also has impressive young talents like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and fellow Afghanistan player Noor Ahmad, the left-arm unorthodox spinner.
On the other hand, Dubai Capitals have gone for experienced players like Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Hazratullah Zazai, Sikandar Raza and Dasun Shanaka.
“Being part of T20 cricket’s most extravagant set-up, the Indian Premier League, for 15 years now — we felt that it was the right time to expand our wings on to the global popularity charts of this format of the sport. The International League T20, which is scheduled to be launched in the United Arab Emirates in January 2023, is a perfect stepping stone for GMR Sports towards building the Capitals Universe comprising of a galaxy of cricket stars from all corner of the World. We are looking forward to making a world-class city like Dubai, our home as Dubai Capitals,” said Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Managing Director, GMR Group.
Teams:
Dubai Capitals: Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Hazratullah Zazai, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Lawrence, Blezzing Muzarabani, Isuru Udana, George Munsey and Fred Klaassen.
Desert Vipers: Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Ben Dackett, Azam Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, S Lamichhane, Sadiq Mahmood, Sheldon Cottrell, Benny Howell, Ruben Trumpelmann.
Sharjah Warriors: Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Evin lewis, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Woakes, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ulhaq, Tom Kohler Cadmore, Chris Benjamin, Danny Briggs, Mark Deyal, Bilal Khan, JJ Smit.
