T10 League set to get underway on November 14 this year

The T10 League based in Abu Dhabi will see its third edition getting underway from November 14 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. This new format could give T20s serious competition in the days to come. With the sanctions of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and licenses of the Emirates Cricket Board behind it, the tournament is attracting more attention and more international players, audience and broadcaster are queuing up to get a taste of the shortest format of the game so far.

Shaji Ul Mulk, the billionaire businessman who is the chairman of the league and has made the tournament a reality, hopes to build on the success of 2018. The tournament started in 2017 and there were allegations of match-fixing but it overcame all odds and is looked up to as one of the future models of limited-overs cricket. While Kerala Kings won the inaugural edition, it was the Northern Warriors who bagged the trophy last year.

T10 League’s uniqueness lies in its 10-over-a-side format with a time duration of 90 minutes. The tournament will be played as a round-robin followed by eliminators, and semifinals, and then the final. While six teams played in the first edition, the number went up to eight in the second and this year, 8 teams will be in the fray.

Two new franchises this year; two rebranded ones

Two new franchises have joined the T10 League this year in the form of Pakistan-based Qalandars and Bangladesh-based Bangla Tigers while Pakhtoons, the runners-up of 2018, have dropped out. Two other franchises, Bengal Tigers and Sindhis, were rebranded as Delhi Bulls and Deccan Gladiators, respectively.

While the Qalandars are owned by Qatar Lubricants Company Limited which also owns Pakistan Super League’s Lahore Qalandars, the Bangla Tigers are owned by Bangladeshi businessmen Yasin Chowdhury and Sirajuddin Alam. Among the international stars whose services will make the T10 a grand affair are Rashid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Eoin Morgan, Shane Watson, Andre Russell and others.

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan is also in the fray. Zaheer played the tournament last year as well for the Bengal Tigers. Virender Sehwag is another Indian to have played in the tournament in the inaugural edition for the Maratha Arabians.

The auction to choose icon players for each franchise and the catchment players will take place on October 15 and the final this time will be held in Abu Dhabi and not Sharjah. Sony Pictures Networks India has joined with Abu Dhabi T10 as their official broadcast partner for the third straight year.

Teams to participate in T10 League 2019

Delhi Bulls
Deccan Gladiators
Bangla Tigers
Qalandars
Northern Warriors
Maratha Arabians
Kerala Kings
Rajputs

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