Pacers will have a bigger say in Abu Dhabi, says Anis Sajan

Dubai - The Delhi Bulls revealed their brand ambassador popular Bollywood star Sunny Leone and also unveiled the new team jersey.

Delhi Bulls team mentor Anis Sajan let the proverbial cat out of the bag by saying that the third season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League will favour the pacers.
After two seasons at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the world's first and only 10-over format cricket league has now shifted to the UAE's capital, and is also being backed by the Abu Dhabi government and other entities.
Sharjah has traditionally been known as a batsmen's paradise, with the smaller ground more or less, playing into the batsmen's hands.
But with the League moving to Abu Dhabi and with it being played in cooler climes in the winter, the fast men will have a bigger say, reckons Sajan.
"I don't mind sharing the secret and I want all the other team owners to also know. The League is in Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi is known to be pacer friendly. We have picked up four fast bowlers and backed up by a specialist spinner in Adil Rashid. So, we hope that our pacers come off," Sajan said on Monday.
The Delhi Bulls also revealed their brand ambassador popular Bollywood star Sunny Leone and also unveiled the new jersey.
The new jersey has a distinct similarity to the Indian team's one-off jersey that they wore against England at the World Cup. Sajan also revealed the thinking behind picking former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik at the players' draft.
"There are almost 200 players who are put in the draft and to pick 15 players is not easy. If we couldn't pick a certain player, we had a back-up of a second player, if not, the third. When I picked Shoaib Malik, people asked me isn't he old for this format. But there were reasons for it because he had just played the CPL. That's the reason we picked Malik. Otherwise, everybody wanted (Tom) Banton. Banton is one of the upcoming stars from England and he's going to play a T20 International against New Zealand tomorrow (Tuesday). So, it is tough but you got to do your home work. It is not necessary that all the players that you pick are going to deliver. You have to go on current form," he said. Malik has been named vice-captain to skipper Eoin Morgan.
Meanwhile, co-owner Neelesh Bhatnagar said getting Morgan as captain was a masterstroke.
"He's the World Cup-winning captain and Eoin Morgan has been a big supporter of our League. He has been with us since the first season. He captained the Kerala Kings and they won the tournament in the first edition. So, he was the winning captain of the first ever T10 League. So, getting him as captain of the Delhi Bulls was a masterstroke. I don't know how Anis managed to do that,' said Bhatnagar.
Meanwhile, brand ambassador Sunny Leone said: "It gives me a great pleasure to be associated with a team full of passion and pride. I personally loved the colour of the jersey and wish my team Delhi Bulls good luck for the season," said Leone.
Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of the League, said: "I congratulate the Delhi Bulls for pulling off a coup by getting two top ambassadors. Firstly, nobody better than the England captain Eoin Morgan and now one of the most powerful crowd pullers. I welcome Sunny Leone to the Abu Dhabi T10 family."
james@khaleejtimes.com