New Delhi / Dubai, 25th July, 2018:The first-ever T10 Cricket League in the world is back for its second season and this time, it will feature big names like Darren Sammy, Shane Watson, Brendon McCullum, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Eoin Morgan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sunil Narine among others.
Shaji Ul Mulk, the Chairman of the T10 League, said, "The response I can tell you has been exceptional over the year since we launched T10 League. We are very excited about the second season of T10 as it brings cricket to the level of world sports of 90 minutes and fast pace action. For the world, this event is not only unique but also a first of its kind in many respects.”
Following the mini-draft of the league held at Habtoor City in Dubai on Monday night, the League picked some of the best short-format cricketers from around the world to be a part of the second edition of the T10 League, to be played later this year. With hard-hitting openers, best batsman, fast runners, dashing wicket-keeper, power-hitter, explosive all-rounder, the second season of T10 promises some dynamic performances.
Kerala Kings, the 2017 champions, retained Eoin Morgan, choosing him as their icon player, while the other first-edition teams chose Rashid Khan (Maratha Arabians), Shahid Afridi (Pakhtoons), Sunil Narine (Bengal Tigers), Shoaib Malik (Punjabi Legends) and Brendon McCullum (Rajputs – earlier Team Sri Lanka) as their icon players.
Northern Warriors and Karachians, the two new franchises, opted for Darren Sammy and Shane Watson respectively. Northern Warriors will have the services of three West Indies players, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell and Dwayne Smith while fast bowlers Jofra Archer is a part of Karachians. While Bengal Tigers sign Jason Roy, Sam Billings and Asif Ali for T10 Cricket League
The teams will meet again for the main draft on September 2 to pick eleven players for the ten-day tournament in December.
The inclusion of two new teams will increase the length of the tournament, from 13 matches over four days to 28 over ten days.
"The commercial success of T10 is the very fact that we have sold two new teams for USD 1.2 million each and have sold partial shares of Kerala Kings with the same price which has lent an immediate valuation to the exiting team owners.” Added Salman Iqbal, President of the T10 League.
Mohomed Morani, co-owner of the new team, ‘Northern Warriors’ said "The West Indian players we have picked create magic, especially in the shorter format of the game. We are very happy to have Darren Sammy as our icon player and captain. Russell is another big plus point for our franchise."
Team - Bengal Tigers
Icon Player - Sunil Narine
Other Players - Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Asif Ali, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Karachians
Icon Player - Shane Watson
Other Players - Jofra Archer, Anton Devcich, Colin de Grandhomme, Ben Laughlin
Kerala Kings
Icon Player - Eoin Morgan
Other Players - Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir, Paul Stirling, DasunShanaka
Maratha Arabians
Icon Player - Rashid Khan
Other Players - James Faulkner, Alex Hales, Dwayne Bravo, Kamran Akmal
Northern Warriors
Icon Player - Darren Sammy
Other Players - Andre Russell, Dwayne Smith, Wahab Riaz, Nicholas Pooran
Pakhtoons
Icon Player - Shahid Afridi
Other Players - Colin Ingram, David Willey, Mohammad Irfan, Liam Dawson
Punjabi Legends
Icon Player - Shoaib Malik
Other Players - Evin Lewis, Chris Jordan, Luke Ronchi, Liam Plunkett
Rajputs
Icon Player - Brendon McCullum
Other Players - Mohammad Hafeez, Rilee Rossouw, Chris Lynn, Mohammad Shahzad