Abu Dhabi T10 has announced the list of eight global icons who will feature in its 10-day long fourth season, slated to start from January 28, 2021 and run on until February 6, 2021.
Sanctioned by ICC and licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), Abu Dhabi T10 will feature eight teams: Team Abu Dhabi, Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers, Deccan Gladiators, Qalandars, Delhi Bulls, Northern Warriors and Pune Devils.
The biggest name amongst the global names is quite understandably Chris Gayle, who will be the global icon for Team Abu Dhabi. With 13,584 runs under his belt in the T20s, the Jamaican all-rounder also boasts of being the first cricketer to hit 1,000 sixes in that format. Gayle had last featured in the 2018 season for Kerala Knights scoring 81 runs in six matches.
Gayle’s fellow countrymen - Andre Russell (Northern Warriors), Sunil Narine (Deccan Gladiators), and Dwayne Bravo (Delhi Bulls) - will also participate in the latest edition of the 10-over competition.
The four other players in the list of global icons are Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi (Qalandars) and Shoaib Malik, and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera (Pune Devils) and Isuru Udana (Bangla Tigers).
Defending champions Maratha Arabians have taken Shoaib Malik on board as their global icon with the all-rounder’s prior experience in the T10 competition - 191 runs in the 2017 season with Punjabi Legends - expected to play a significant role for Arabians.
The schedule for the latest Abu Dhabi T10 edition is yet to be released.
