UAE announce new T20 league, name to be announced soon

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to join the list of nations with their own T20 leagues. The Emirates Cricket Board has recently announced that they will launch their T20 league soon. The tournament will feature the international stars from various nations across the globe. The striking feature of the tournament will be that the player quotas in the sides.

Unlike most T20 leagues that aim at giving their native players exposure at the big stage, the primary objective of the UAE T20 league will be different. There will be a plethora of international talent in the competition and the major aim, for now, is to popularize the sport in the country. The name of the tournament will be announced soon at an official meeting. The ICC has granted the sanction for the league to UAE.

The news has come a day after the drafts of the inaugural Global T20 Canada League were announced. There will be five teams participating in the competition this year. The host cities will be – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah.

“Our firm aim is for this event to take the sport to all corners of the UAE and to develop cricket at a grassroots level initially in – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaima. This will not be just another T20 tournament; it will be a true international festival of sport and the hottest cricket ticket in the UAE,” David East, CEO of the Emirates Cricket Board, quoted.

Player compositions in the competition

The reports in Cricbuzz suggest that the best part of the league will be the player composition of the squads. The 16-member squad of each franchise will comprise of six international “star” players, two emerging players from ICC Full Member nations, three players from ICC Associate Member nations, two junior players and three UAE cricketers.

The Emirates Cricket Board has already got the support from 6 countries – New Zealand, Windies, Afghanistan, England, Ireland, and Zimbabwe. There will be 22 matches played in the competition across a 24-day period during the months of December and January.

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