Abu Dhabi T10 League Rescheduled, New Date For Kickoff Set For January 28

It is decided that the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 league will begin from 28th January to 6th February. All the matches will take place in the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The 10-over-a-side tournament was earlier scheduled to happen in November 2020 but owing to the pandemic outbreak, and then the hosting of the Indian Premier League(IPL) meant that it was postponed. The IPL was successfully conducted in three cities of the UAE; Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai with the final taking place on 10th November.

T10 is fast, punchy, exciting cricket: Aref Al Awani

General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Aref Al Awani feels that T10 cricket is an exciting form of cricket and is attaining newer heights every year. Awani said that the number of people supporting this format of cricket is increasing and the league is amongst the top sport in the country.

As quoted in the thenationalnews.com,  Aref Al Awani said, “T10 is fast, punchy, exciting cricket that engages fans of the sport like few other tournaments, so we are naturally thrilled to see the 2020 tournament going ahead early next year.”

“As people saw from the level of support the tournament delivered in its inaugural year, Abu Dhabi is a committed sporting destination. The Abu Dhabi T10 has already well and truly confirmed itself within the top tier of the emirate’s sports portfolio.”

It was observed that the last season of the T10 league had a cumulative TV audience of more than 80 million globally, almost 3m of which watched in the UAE on Abu Dhabi Sports. In India, Sony Pictures Network India will broadcast the tournament and is expected to enlarge the viewing figures by 15 per cent next season.

A player auction is supposed to take place later. Like the previous editions, 8 teams will participate in the 10-day tournament, as confirmed by the league’s chairman, Shaji Ul Mulk.

After the successful organization of the IPL, it is believed that BCCI could be hosting England for a Test series in the UAE if the covid situation in India doesn’t get better. The T20 World Cup, scheduled for next year in India, could also be hosted in the UAE.

Matt Boucher, Abu Dhabi Cricket’s chief executive, said that similar to the IPL, Covid-19 protocols will be followed for the T10 league to ensure the safety of all players and officials involved.

“We will continue to work in close partnership with Abu Dhabi government authorities to ensure the continued implementation of robust Covid-19 safety protocols to safeguard all those involved in the delivery of the tournament from players to staff,” Boucher said.

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