T10 League gets ICC sanction

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially sanctioned the second season of T10 League to be held from November 23 2018 in Sharjah.

The T10 League is the latest format, a condensed version that involves each team playing a 10-over inning. Like the T20 leagues, it also has attracted attention from cricketers across globe with Eoin Morgan-led Kerala Kings winning the inaugural edition last year.

“This sanction from ICC for T10 League gives our partners, stakeholders and more importantly the players a much-needed boost. Having said that, it additionally gives us responsibility to ensure we keep growing year-on-year and make this format globally acceptable,” Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman of the league, was quoted as saying in a press release on Tuesday.

The 10-day long season will see the addition of two more teams this time around making it an eight-team affair with the player draft being slated for September.

Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan (Maratha Arabians), Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi (Pakhtoons) and Shoaib Malik (Punjabi Legends), England’s Eoin Morgan (Kerala Kings), New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum (Rajputs), West Indies’ Sunil Narine (Bengal Tigers) and Darren Sammy (Northern Warriors) and Australia’s Shane Watson (Karachians) have already been roped in as Icon players for their respective franchisees.

“The sanction from the ICC will only add further shine to the global appeal of the event. We believe that value creation for the new teams will see a positive growth from year one. From four-day league to a ten-day league with more teams and larger pool of international players is a testament of faith shown by fans and stakeholders,” said Salman Iqbal, President, T10 League.