Abu Dhabi T10: Azharuddin named Bangla Tigers brand ambassador

Dubai - South African Faf du Plessis is the captain for the tournament scheduled to be held at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from November 19

Bangla Tigers on Monday named former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin as the brand ambassador for the franchise for the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Azharuddin will link up with the squad ahead of the tournament and play a part in motivating the players.

The tournament is scheduled to be held at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from November 19 and is being staged under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), with official approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“It is terrific to be associated with an exciting franchise like Bangla Tigers,” said Azharuddin.

“We have some exciting players in the line-up, who I am sure are keen to stamp their authority on the tournament. I am thankful to Yasin Bhai (Bangla Tigers owner Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury) for thinking about me and scripting this association. I am looking forward to meeting up and working with everyone.”

Azharuddin’s addition follows a star-studded line-up that was drafted earlier in the month by the franchise. The squad now features prominent Pakistan superstar Mohammed Amir. In addition, the franchise had earlier named former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis as the icon player.

The franchise had also announced the retentions of West Indies’ dashing pair of Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles, Sri Lanka’s terrific new-ball bowler Isuru Udana and Afghanistan’s mystery spinner Qais Ahmed.

The franchise’s coaching staff will be led by former Australia batsman Stuart Law with former England wicketkeeper batsman Paul Nixon as the new batting coach, whereas one of the game’s fastest bowlers, Shaun Tait of Australia will be the bowling coach. Du Plessis will be leading the side at the tournament.

Azharuddin’s addition is therefore an excellent opportunity for the players to learn from a legend who led India right through the 1990s. Azharuddin was one of the most successful Indian captains ever. In all, Azharuddin had featured in 99 Tests and 334 ODIs. He scored 6215 runs in Test cricket and 9378 ODI runs.

Abdul Latif Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Bangla Tigers also expressed his sentiments. “We have achieved what we had set out. We drafted the best players we had earmarked after having secured a top icon player in Faf (du Plessis) and a top-notch coaching staff. Azharuddin’s association will further enhance the profile of our franchise.”

Bangla Tigers owner Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury said: “It is a matter of pride for us at Bangla Tigers to have a legend like Mohammed Azharuddin in our midst. His presence will boost the morale of the squad and add a lot of value for our franchise. We cannot wait to get started and dip into the brilliant mind of Azharuddin.”