Ajman T10 Talent Hunt League: A unique domestic tournament launched

By K.R. Nayar

Ten teams to compete from November 30 to December 4 at Eden Gardens Ajman. Top performers from this league will be referred to the Players Management Council of the Abu Dhabi T10’s fourth edition to held from January 28 to February 6, 2021

Ajman T10 Talent Hunt League trophy launch 

Close on heels to the resounding success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE, a unique domestic cricket tournament – the Ajman T10 Talent Hunt League, with a vision to spot talent, will commence from November 30 at the Eden Garden Ajman Ground.
This tournament is aimed at unearthing talented cricketers for an opportunity to be included in the franchise teams for the Abu Dhabi T10 scheduled from January 28 to February 6, 2021. The trophy was unveiled aboard a cruise boat ' on the night of Wednesday, November 18, 2020, in the presence of all the participating team representatives and budding cricketers with motivating messages from International cricketers and renowned coaches like Saqlain Mushtaq and Lalchand Rajput. 
Ajman T10 Talent Hunt League will be contested by 10 teams. A draw was held and the teams divided into two groups of five squads each. This league has Pacific Group as title sponsors and will be held under the patronage of the T10 Sports Management FZE under the auspices of the Ajman Cricket Council. This unique event has attracted support sponsors such as Oasis Water, Glory Energy Drink, Caprice Watches, Star Lights, Kattan Tourism and Karag Rigag.
The architects of this tournament are Mahmood Merchant, Khalil Goltay, and former UAE cricketer and coach Shahzad Altaf.  Commenting on the tournament, Merchant said: “Ten teams will compete in this tournament. The opening of this tournament will be held on November 30 at 7 pm, followed by the first match at 8 pm. The tournament will follow the T10 match duration of 90 minutes per match with the second match to be held from 10 pm. A total of 23 matches will be staged. On December 1, 2, and 3, six matches will be held every day, for a total of 18 matches during those three days. The semifinal and final to be held on December 4th.”
The ten teams pooled into two groups are:

Group A: Inter Marine Group, Brother Gas, GFC Investment, Karwan Strikers, Pacific Goltay

 Group B: Golden Falcon, Atlas Foundation, Kings Academy, Team MGM, Orakzai Warriors.

"Parvez Khan, chairman of Pacific Group wanted the Pacific Goltay team to be made up of budding cricketers from the UAE. This tournament is meant for cricketers to showcase their skills and thus earn an opportunity to play alongside international cricketers who will be here to play in the Abu Dhabi T10,” added Merchant.
Promising cricketers like Ali Shan Sharafu, Vriitya Aravind, Maroof Mahmood Merchant, and Fahad Nawaz will be playing for Pacific Goltay, while the UAE Under-19 captain Aryan Lakra will play for Kings Academy team. All these budding cricketers and UAE player Rameez Shahzad attended the launch on Wednesday.



Through a video message, Saqlain Mushtaq, who is now the Head of International Player Development at Pakistan Cricket Board’s High-Performance Centre, said: “Organisers of this tournament will surely find some diamonds. Look after them, polish them, and then develop them to become world class players.”


Lalchand Rajput noted that “It is a very good initiative for domestic talent to be showcased. As being coaches of one of the T10 franchises I shall be keeping a close watch on the top performers of this tournament. Play well and good luck.”
Commenting on the main focus of the tournament, Merchant said: “We are thankful to Ajman Cricket Council for backing this league. We will be presenting a list of top performers from this league to Charlie Austin, Head of the Players Management Council of the Abu Dhabi T10, who can then offer the players to the different franchises.”
In the 2019 edition of Abu Dhabi T10, a few UAE cricketers had produced sterling performances alongside top international cricketers.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Cricket Association launched in Paris to boost the game in the region

Image
By K.R. Nayar A cricket organisation to boost the game in Europe was launched in Paris today. Six cricketing nations joined hands and formed the European Cricket Association. The inaugural meeting of the association held at Pullman Effiel was attended by representatives of six cricket playing nations  - France, Italy, Jersey, Malta, Austria and Romania. France was the host of the meeting which was held under the chairmanship of Gurumurthy Palani, the Board Advisor to the France Cricket Association, till the president of the body is chosen. European Cricket Association officials at their launch meeting  Gabriel Marin of Romania was elected as the first President of the European Cricket Association, while Fabio Marabini of Italy will be the First Vice President. Three vice presidents were elected, which included Indika Perera (Malta), Sarah Gomersall (Jersey) and Gurumurthy Palani (France). Bilal Zal Mai of Austria will be the Executive Committee Member. Speaking about the...
Read more

UAE’s richest domestic cricket tournament launched through a 100-ball format in Sharjah

Image
By K.R. Nayar Petromann Sports Management is known to stage cricket events with a unique twist. The mastermind behind these innovations is Abdul Latif Khan, Founder of Petromann Sports Management. He brought tennis ball cricket to the international level through the 10PL, offering the richest prize money in this format. Now, he is set to launch Elite Corporate Cricket Bash (ECCB), a unique 100-ball format, which is likely to become one of the UAE's richest domestic tournaments, with a prize of Dh 1.3 million, at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Mazhar Khan and Dav Whatmore release the event jersey as Abdul Latif Khan and Nasir Akram look on  This ten-day tournament will feature 12 corporate teams. Petromann Sports Management, in collaboration with the Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board, has created this platform to discover emerging UAE talent. The tournament, expected to revolutionize the UAE's domestic cricket scene, will reach an audience of 300 mill...
Read more

Remembering the first girl to play cricket in the UAE as the country hosts its first Women’s World Cup

Image
By K.R. Nayar The UAE is set to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 starting on October 3. There was a time when girls in this country hardly considered playing cricket. Instead, they preferred sports like badminton, tennis, and basketball, and rarely, if ever, held a cricket bat. It was during this period that a 10-year-old girl, Natasha Michael Cherriath, walked onto a cricket field with a bat in hand.   Natasha Michael showed the way for other women cricketers in the UAE Natasha had no other girls to play with, and the boys curiously observed her as she joined a game typically played only by them.   Every movement requires a pioneer, and Natasha was the one who started it all for girls' cricket here. While she learned the basics of the game from her father, Michael, he took her to renowned coach Shehzad Altaf, who had represented the UAE in the 1996 World Cup. Although Altaf initially told her that cricket was a sport for boys, Natasha was determined to learn. It didn’t ...
Read more