T10 format to go global
dubai — Gung-ho after the success of the first ever T10 league in the history of the game, Shaji Ul Mulk and his team are talking about expanding the format globally with initial talk with the England Cricket Board (ECB) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
Shaji, the brain behind the 90-minute ‘cricketainment’ revealed that the format could go to as far places as England, Saudi Arabia, the US and the Caribbean island. “We have had initial talks with the ECB and another round is scheduled for next month,” he said at a media briefing held onboard a yacht in Dubai Marina on Wednesday. “The intention is to take T10 worldwide. Take T10 global by working with a powerful board like the English one will be another feather in our cap,” he said, adding that the inaugural T10 will continue at the Sharjah Stadium and globally it would be independent league.
“We also had talks with the WICB for staging the T10 format leagues in the US and the West Indies,’ he said.
Talking about the participation of the Indian players in the T10 league, he said: “The BCCI (board of Control for Cricket in India) doesn’t allow their players to play in any foreign tournament and restricts it to IPL only,” he pointed out.
The chairman of the T10 League was quick to add that the tournaments run without the Indian players also. “We made it (T10 league) successful without the Indian players,” he stressed.
However, he conceded that the dialogues were an ongoing process with the BCCI for the
We also had talks with the WICB for staging the T10 format leagues in the US and the West Indies Shaji Ul Mulk
inclusion of Indian players in the league, which has majority of owners from India. “If not for the next edition, we would hope that in future the Indian players would play in the tournament.”
Former Indian opener, Virender Sehwag, was the lone Indian player in the first T10 season held in December last year.
Parvez Khan, who owns a team and is on governing board of the league, announced that the shortest format of the game will see an expanded format in the second edition. “It will be two and half times bigger,” he said, explaining that two more franchises will be added and the four-day tournament will be held over 10 days in December.
“We had 13 matches last December but will play 31 matches.”
Dr Nowhera Shaik, Founder and CEO of Heera Group, pledged to continue sponsorship support for the T10. “We were very happy with the response for the inaugural T10 tournament,” she enthused.
She also sounded optimistic about roping in Indian players in future. “We need to work together and meet BCCI officials to see how we can get more involvement of Indian players in this exciting new format,” he reckons.
Mazhar Khan, the Emirates Cricket Board administrator, pointed out the enthusiastic response by the fans in the UAE to the 10-over format. “We had over 15,000 fans inside the Sharjah Stadium and around 7,000 waiting outside,” he said about the response.
“The crowd response proved that Sharjah is the venue for T10, and we look forward to hosting another league in December,” said Mazhar, who also manages the CBFS-owned iconic Sharjah Stadium.
sunilvaidya@khaleejtimes.com