Bangla flavour adds spice to Abu Dhabi T10 League

Dubai - Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of the competition, announces new team called Bangla Tigers

The Abu Dhabi T10 League, the first and only 10-over format cricket league in the world, will have a truly Bangladeshi flavour, for its third season.
With a little more than 50 days to go for the third installment in the UAE capital, Bangladeshi business tycoons Yasin Chowdhury and Sirajuddin Alam have joined forces to take ownership of the Bangla Tigers.
The League previously had the Bengal Tigers but with the owners - Danube group - requesting for a name change, it freed up the name for the new team. And Chowdhury and Alam, who was the founding secretary of the Bangladesh Premier League, former director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, were quick to take in on the opportunity.
"We welcome them (Bangla Tigers) to the Abu Dhabi T10 cricket League," Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of Abu Dhabi T10, and the brain behind the League, said during the new team's announcement, on Thursday.
Shaji Ul Mulk revealed that the new owners have had a connection with the League, right since its inception.
"They have a long history and association with the League actually. Right from the inception in 2017, they were supposed to be a part of the Bengal Tigers team, to partner the Danube Group. For some reasons, the partnership did not happen and as you know the Bengal Tigers have been run by the Danube Group," he revealed.
"There has been a request from the Bengal Tigers to change the name to Delhi Bulls. And because the name change happened, we were keen to have a Bangladesh team and owners who had a core cricket knowledge to be associated with the League. We wanted to have a Bangladesh team representing the Bangla community, And, since the name was free, we were able to offer it to them," he added.
He also revealed that the Bengal Tigers' name change to the Delhi Bulls is now under formal approval from the ICC.
Shaji Ul Mulk also went on to reveal that Pakhtoon, last season's runners-up, have dropped out.
The Abu Dhabi T10 League, which consists of eight franchises - Kerala Knights, Punjabi Legends, Maratha Arabians, Rajputs, Sindhis, Northern Warriors, Bangla Tigers and the Delhi Bulls - takes place from November 14 to 24 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The first two seasons were held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
james@khaleejtimes.com
WHAT: Abu Dhabi T10 League
WHEN: November 14 to 24
WHERE: Zayed Cricket Stadium
NUMBER OF TEAMS: 8
TEAMS: Kerala Knights, Punjabi Legends, Maratha Arabians, Rajputs, Sindhis, Northern Warriors, Bangla Tigers, Delhi Bulls