New T20 League eyeing to include David Warner and Steve Smith

A new kid on the block seems to have arrived when it comes to T20 leagues. An initiative originating the United Arab Emirates, this new league is reportedly all set to target banned Australian cricketing stars David Warner and Steve Smith for their inaugural edition that is slated to be held later this year.

This league, however, is also set to clash head-on with the schedule of the popular Big Bash League (BBL). Both the tournaments are expected to be held in the latter half of December and would extend up to the second week of January. This might just trigger an epic tug of war between the two competitions when it comes to attracting the best talents in the shortest format of the game.

Warner, Smith may be roped in by ECB’s new initiative

The tournament UAE T20x, which is going to be backed by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), is seeking sponsors and franchise owners as of now and released dates and other details this week. It’s yet to contract any players. As reported by cricket.com.au, it is slated to run from December 19 to January 11. Since Smith and Warner are yet to map out their summer plans, they’ll be two exciting prospects that the new league will be eyeing.

Someone like Mitchell Johnson, who recently retired from BBL owing to the lengthy tenure of it, may also opt to play in UAE’s league for a short stint. The league is expected to have a much bigger salary cap than BBL’s $1.6 million per team and has claimed that cricket boards from England, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand have given consent for players to take part.

BBL boss remains unfazed about possible clash

Amidst all this clamour, the one person remaining unaffected by it all is the BBL boss, Kim McConnie. Speaking about the possible repercussions of the imminent clash, she said, “Australia’s big international stars have very rarely played Big Bash. Other things might be happening around the world, that’s the nature of cricket. But what people love about Big Bash is that 7pm every night they can turn the TV on and watch. That’s our advantage.”

Reiterating her faith in the viability and popularity of the BBL, McConnie added, “The BBL is a platform to showcase talent for the IPL. The standard is high … the high-performance environments (are attractive) and clubs really take care of players. With some internationals, the drawcard is actually Australia.”

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