Unimoni Asia Cup Trophy unveiled in Abu Dhabi

Vijay Sajjanhar, Prabhakaran Thanraj, Khalid Al Zarooni, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Dr BR Shetty, Promoth Manghat and Mubashshir Usmani. - Supplied photo

The Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 trophy was unveiled at a quiet ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday afternoon by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Member, Minister of State for Tolerance and Chairman of Emirates Cricket Board.

Khalid Al Zarooni, Emirates Cricket Board Vice-Chairman, Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary, Emirates Cricket Board, Prabhakaran Thanraj, Marketing Manager, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) (who attended on behalf of both the BCCI and The Asian Cricket Council), Dr BR Shetty, Finablr Founder and Chairman, Vijay Sajjanhar, Dubai Sports City Chief Financial Officer and Mathew Boucher, Abu Dhabi Cricket Club Acting CEO, were among those who attended.

Looking ahead to the event BCCI CEO, Rahul Johri, said: "I would like to extend my gratitude to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, for his continuous support. Holding the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 in UAE gives us the opportunity to follow through on our promise to strengthen the passion for cricket not just locally but on the global stage and in emerging markets."

Asian Cricket Council General Manager Thusith Perera added: "The UAE has been an intrinsic part of cricket history, and we are delighted at the opportunity of holding The Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 across the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

"The Asian Cricket Council is committed to promoting the growth of cricket in the region, through not only the popularity of its strongest teams, but also by supporting the rise of associate members through their interactions with full members.

"In this edition we bring with us a high quality line-up of teams vying for the chance to be crowned Champions of Asia, we also hope to leave an indelible mark in the minds of local sports fans, by making the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 the biggest Asian face-off in the tournament's history."

Commenting on the association with Unimoni Asia Cup 2018, Finablr Founder and Chairman, Dr. BR Shetty, said: "It is a matter of great pride for Finablr that Unimoni and UAE Exchange are associated with Asia Cup 2018. As a group, we have always believed in connecting with our customers on the things they love, and cricket is loved by billions of people across the globe."

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Asia Cup is a men's One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament played on a biennial basis. The 2018 edition is an ODI event and will take place from September 15 - 28, with a total of 13 games being played in both Dubai International Stadium, Dubai and Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

The 2018 Unimoni Asia Cup will see five games played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and eight taking place at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City, with the final being held on September 28t. More than 150,000 fans are expected to attend the 13-day tournament.