Abu Dhabi launches T20 tournament with six teams from around the world

Cricket

Hot on the heels of T20 tournaments around the world, including the latest tournament in Canada called Global T20 Canada, Abu Dhabi Cricket is set to launch its very own T20 tournament in October of this year.

The competition, named Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, will be held between October 4th and 6th at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Six teams will compete in this unique competition - one each from Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, England, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa.

The five confirmed teams are Australia’s Big Bash team Hobart Hurricanes, Afghanistan’s Shpageeza League’s team Boost Defenders, Pakistan Super League team Lahore Qalandars, South African Ram Slam team Titans, and England’s T20 Blast team Yorkshire Vikings.

The sixth team in the competition will be a team from the UAE, which will be confirmed on a later date.

The Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy has got the approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The three-day tournament will be supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC). 

The competition will be held at the state-of-the-art Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium which can hold 20,000 people and has held several high-profile matches in the past, which includes a few matches from the 2014 edition of the IPL. The stadium was also Pakistan’s home ground for series’ against South Africa, Australia, England, New Zealand, and West Indies, while several English county sides have also had pre-season games at the stadium.

Apart from the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, the UAE will also host the Emirates T20 League later this year.

South Africa’s T20 Global League will also be held in November 2018, with several high-profile owners, including Indian actor and IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan, who has bought the team Cape Town Knight Riders.

The T10 League will also return this year to UAE, where each team will face 10 overs each.