ICC Chair Jay Shah watches Government buying premier tournament. Image Credits: AFP
Franchise cricket has taken a lot of prominence for talent around the world in recent years, with most cricketing nations having their own T20 competition. In 2017, a groundbreaking innovation was launched in the United Arab Emirates when the first major T10 league, the Abu Dhabi T10 League, was played.
The Abu Dhabi T10 will host its 10th edition later this year, a significant moment for the organisers, given how long the league has endured and the players it has attracted, both current and former. However, ahead of the milestone edition of the tournament, the owners of the competition have taken a major step towards the future and got the government involved.
Abu Dhabi government enters cricket
The Abu Dhabi T10 League, owned by TTEN Sports’ founder Shaji Ul Mulk, has now sold the majority stakes of the competition to the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. This will ensure the government now has much more control over the league's commercial future, global expansion, and governance.
The tournament, which started in 2017, was initially based in Sharjah for the younger audiences to enjoy short and TV-friendly matches. Following its initial success, it was also expanded to Dubai in the coming years.
Initially known as the T10 League, 2019 was a significant moment for Shaji Ul Mulk and his team after Abu Dhabi sealed the exclusive hosting rights, and it was rebranded as the Abu Dhabi T10.
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New era for T10 Cricket
In recent years, the Gulf countries have been taking massive strides in hosting major sporting events and pumping oil money into sports to a point where they are in an ego battle with their contemporaries.
Following the announcement of the Dunes League T20 in Saudi Arabia, the Emirates Cricket Board-backed T10 league could see major improvements and commercial success with government involvement. We could see some restructuring to help the league’s expansion as they look to remain the most desirable cricketing destination in the Middle East.
Over the years, multiple changes in team ownership and the introduction of new teams after the inaugural edition have led it to become a crisp competition with a playoff model. Major global stars like Moeen Ali, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis, and Liam Livingstone, among others, have led teams in recent years as a testament to their brand value.
In 9 seasons so far, the Deccan Gladiators have won the most titles with 3 trophies. KKR star Rovman Powell is the leading run-scorer with 1346 runs so far, while Afghanistan’s leg-spinner Qais Ahmad has the most (40) wickets.
Is T10 the future?
Since the introduction of this tournament in the Emirates to provide exposure to the local youngsters and attract global stars, multiple T10 competitions around the world have come to the fore.
Boards that do not have a T20 competition have tried to replicate this model with the Zim Afro T10 League. Europe have their own T10 competitions too, while Sri Lanka joined them with the Lanka T10 Super League a couple of years ago.
While T20 is currently the most prominent white-ball format, and there is no international T10 introduced yet, it is a long way away from gaining popularity among regular cricket watchers and players. However, T10 remains a major attraction for the retired and out-of-favour international players to enjoy their cricket and earn good money currently.
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