The fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League will start on November 19 and will feature more matches in the latest campaign.
The last season of Abu Dhabi T10 was held in January-February in the UAE earlier this year as the T10 cricket tournament could not be staged in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest season starting in November will be the 2021 edition of the league. It will end on December 4 covering 15 days, up from the 10 days in the preceding campaign.
Northern Warriors are the defending champions after beating Delhi Bulls in the finals of the previous edition. The Warriors were captained by West Indian, wicket-keeper batsman Nicholas Pooran. The southpaw also won the man of the series award.
The tournament, which features eight teams, will also be celebrating the UAE’s 50th National Day which falls on December 2.
“It is indeed a matter of pride that a journey that started in 2017 with just four teams has now reached a stage where the tournament has become an important part of the world’s cricketing calendar,” said Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of Ten Sports Management that owns the T10 League, in a statement.
The Abu Dhabi T10 league has been approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Emirates Cricket Board. Over the years, cricketing giants Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Eoin Morgan and Kieron Pollard have participated in the tournament.
Like the previous editions, the 2021 season will once again witness the round-robin format, along with the eliminators and a final.
“In conjunction with Abu Dhabi Cricket, we promise to conduct the tournament in this UAE’s 50th anniversary year on an even larger scale and give our fans a truly befitting and exhilarating experience,” Mulk added.
“By bringing T10 to the UAE capital, we have made Abu Dhabi the home to this truly exciting cricketing format, the potential of which is now reaching ever-growing audiences of 144.2 million worldwide with 800 million video views on social media during season 4 of the Abu Dhabi T10,” said Aref Al Awani, General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Featured Image: Instagram/ Maratha Arabians T10
