Star-studded Abu Dhabi T10 to return with bigger edition in November

Dubai - The 15-day tournament will also celebrate the UAE's 50th National Day which falls on December 2

The fifth edition of the popular Abu Dhabi T10 League will be held from November 19 to December 4 this year, the organisers said in a statement.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi T10, the fifth season of the cricket’s fastest format, will feature more matches.

“It is indeed a matter of pride that a journey that started in 2017 with just four teams has now

reached a stage where the tournament has become an important part of the world’s cricketing calendar,” said Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of TSM, which owns the T10 League, said in a statement.

“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,” he added.

The 15-day tournament will also be celebrating the UAE’s 50th National Day which falls on December 2.

“In conjunction with Abu Dhabi Cricket, we promise to conduct the tournament in this UAE’s 50th anniversary year on an even larger scale and give our fans a truly befitting and exhilarating experience,” Mulk said.

With the support of the Government of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Abu Dhabi T10 has earned global fame with some of the world’s best players like Chris Gayle and Eoin Morgan, featuring in it.

The organisers also has earned praise for hosting a safe and successful tournament in January-February this year despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“By bringing T10 to the UAE capital, we have made Abu Dhabi the home to 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,” said Aref Al Awani, General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

Launched in 2017, the Abu Dhabi T10, which is sanctioned by both the International Cricket

Council and the Emirates Cricket Board, has built on the surging popularity of the global game

with its exciting round-robin format followed by eliminators and a final.

Meanwhile, the Emirates Cricket Board has also welcomed the new and the bigger 2021 season of the league

“It has been with great pleasure that the ECB has followed the growth of the Abu Dhabi T10 over the past four seasons. 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," Mubashshir Usmani, general secretary of the ECB, said.

The UAE players made a big impact in the last season, with Junaid Siddique of the Northern Warriors finishing the tournament as the joint-second highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets from nine matches.

Waseem Muhammad, who is likely to make his UAE debut soon, was fourth on the list of top-scorers with 212 runs for the champions Northern Warriors.