Abu Dhabi: Northern Warriors will look to win a third Abu Dhabi T10 honour while defending the title they won in early 2021 when the fifth edition of the world’s only International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned tournament plays out in the UAE capital from November 19 to December 4.
The fifth edition of the tournament will be part of the UAE’s 50th National Day celebrations and Northern Warriors who have won the title twice, will be up against past champions Kerala Kings and Maratha Arabians and other top teams in the format.
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The tournament has grown exponentially since its launch in 2017 and is sanctioned by the ICC and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).
Some of the world’s top names in the quickest format of the sport have participated in the league in past editions, including Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Wayne Parnell, Chris Jordan, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammed Irfan, Dwayne Bravo and Wahab Riaz, to name a few. While the line-ups for this year’s tournament will be announced in time, the tournament once again enjoys the support of the Abu Dhabi Government and Abu Dhabi Sports Council. The tournament is organised by Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) in conjunction with the league’s owners Ten Sports Management (TSM), who ventured to deliver a safe and successful tournament whilst adhering to strict COVID-19 health and safety prevention protocols prescribed by the UAE Government.
“It is indeed a matter of pride that a journey that started in 2017 with just four teams has now reached a stage whereby the tournament has become an important part of the world’s cricketing calendar,” said Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of TSM.
“It is most heartening to see the world’s top cricketers in this hugely popular format and upcoming cricketers seize the advantage of the platform to rub shoulders with the best in the business. In conjunction with ADC, we promise to conduct the tournament in the UAE’s 50th anniversary year on an even larger scale and give our fans a truly befitting and exhilarating experience.”
His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, added: “By bringing T10 to the UAE capital we have made Abu Dhabi the home of 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, to introducing more players, young and old, to cricket and the wider forms of the sport.”
The 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 will feature an increased number of 90-minute matches played over the planned 15 days, as opposed to 10 days in previous seasons, a move welcomed by ECB.
“It has been with great pleasure that the ECB has followed the growth of the Abu Dhabi T10 over the past four seasons,” said Mubashshir Usmani, the ECB’s General Secretary.
“The tournament is a huge opportunity for our players to play with top international cricketers which enables them to consistently hone their skill sets. We are very confident of the success for the next edition, in this important year for the UAE, and believe cricket fans in this country will be thrilled at a series of longer duration with more matches.”
