Following the announcement of the inaugural T10 League scheduled to be played in Sharjah later in the year, the organisers of the tournament are planning to hold matches in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well.
The upcoming tournament was well received by Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan.
Former Team India opener who tormented star-studded bowling line-ups during his heydeys, Virender Sehwag, Sri Lankan stalwart Kumar Sangakkara and Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman will play for a team named “Maratha Arabians” in the T10 league as per reports on their official Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Sohail Khan is the co-owner of the Maratha Arabians and taking to his twitter handle; Khan expressed his delight at being part of the T10 League.
The new league was officially announced on Tuesday in Dubai, and the ceremony was attended by international stars like Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Eoin Morgan and Misbah-ul-Haq who also happens to be the chief selector of Pakistan.
As per reports in the National, the first edition of the T10 tournament will feature six teams and is expected to be played in December. Some official members from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will co-manage two teams, Colombo Lions and Bangla Tigers. Meanwhile, Inzamam is the co-owner of the Punjabi Legends.
“We are talking to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh about having T10 cricket there. The first year is going to be critical. If the game is executed correctly and picked up the way it should be, it could be adopted at the regional level, national, and then international level,” said Shaji Ul Mulk, the chairman and founder of the tournament.
Former Pakistani all-rounder Afridi said,
“When [Pakhtoons franchise owner Habib Khan] came to me tell me about this, I said ‘Please, let me play in this format.”
Misbah was also very excited about the tournament.
“Whoever came up with this idea did a wonderful job. It is a new concept, and for players like me, it is good for us with the kind of age we are – only ten overs cricket. There is no need to go there and think a lot, and I think something new like this is good for the cricket fan.”
The six teams who will be featuring in the inaugural T10 League are Maratha Arabians, Punjabi Legends, Keralites Kings, Bangla Tigers, Colombo Lions and Pakhtoons.