(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A rich and dazzling assembly of stars is waiting to thrill fans as the ambitious Qatar T10 Cricket League is all set to start at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium on December 7.
Fielding six franchise teams in the League, which has been a long-cherished dream for the hosts Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) under the presidency of Yousef Jeham al-Kuwari, the event is recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and being promoted by International Pro Event.
The 10-day razzmatazz, which will conclude on December 16, will feature Falcon Hunters, Desert Riders, Flying Oryx, Swift Gallopers, Heat Stormers and Pearl Gladiators. South African batting star Hashim Amla leads the star-studded list, which also has players from Pakistan, India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and England, besides regional and local cricketers.
Other faces that will draw big crowds to the venue include Salman Butt, Sohail Tanveer, Kamran Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Hussain Talat, Mohamed Shahzad, Mohamed Sami, Sharjeel Khan, Imran Nazir (all from Pakistan), Luke Wright (England), Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Krishmar Santokie, Kennar Lewis (all from West Indies), Shahadat Hussain, Mohamed Naeem Islam (from Bangladesh), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Manpreet Singh (India) and Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka).
'Today is a big day for Qatar sports in general and a very big occasion for Qatar cricket in particular. We're fully prepared to start the Qatar T10 Cricket League at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium on December 7, al-Kuwari at the launch ceremony in Doha.
'It was a big task for us to find the suitable time for this league between the Arabian Gulf Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. We'll now have the opening on December 7, a day before the Arabian Gulf Cup final and then for 10 days, we'll host a feast of cricket for its fans all over the world.
Al-Kuwari also highlighted Qatar's credentials as a big promoter of international sports. 'The league will also showcase Qatar's passion for sports and its capacity as a big hub of international sporting events. Everything is well set and we're keen to get going now.
He added, 'Cricket is a major sport in Qatar in terms of players and followers. This league will help us establish this fact further and enable us to elevate the standard of the sport in the country. We'll try our best to leave an enduring impression on the players and fans all over the world through this league.
'The QCA would like to thank the ICC, promoters, franchise owners and players to make this event possible for us, al-Kuwari said.
Sajjad Chaudhry, CEO of International Pro Event, said: 'We planned and executed everything within 20 days. This year, we're treating it as the stepping stone. There have been many challenges but we worked our way through. In near future, the world will see and admire our cricket hosting capabilities.
'We've also planned a dazzling opening ceremony. I don't wish to disclose anything right now but there are lots of celebrities coming to take part and make the occasion truly memorable for all of us, Chaudhry added.
Also present at the launch were team owners, QCA official Eissa al-Yacoub, QCA Operations Manager Manzoor Ahmad, QCA Domestic Cricket Head Gul Khan Jadoon, local senior and junior players, who have been drafted into the six teams.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Falcon Hunters
Owner: Faisal Sandhu and Malik Mohammad Saeed Nishat Emirates Contracting / Build Force Contracting
Hashim Amla (South Africa), Johnson Charles (West Indies), Salam Butt (Pakistan), Ammad Butt (Pakistan), Saad Bin Zafar (Canada), Aqib Ali (Oman), Fayaz Butt (Oman), Tom Abell (England - Associate), Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry (Qatar), Mohammed Rizlan (Qatar), Kamran Khan (Qatar), Tamoor Sajjad (Qatar), Muran Khan (Qatar), Irshad Umar (Qatar), Nawaf Pullangadam (Qatar), Hussain Khan (Qatar)
Desert Riders
Owner: Gaurang Doshi Gaurang Doshi Production (UAE)
Sohail Tanveer (Pakistan), Khurram Manzoor (Pakistan), Shahadat Hussain (Bangladesh), Ramith Rambulwella (Sri Lanka), Amjad Khan (UAE), Mohammed Nadeem (Oman), Kithruwan Vithanage (Sri Lanka), CP Rizwan (UAE), Javaidi Ahmadi (Aghanistan), Awais Malik (Qatar), Muhammad Tanveer (Qatar), Mujeeb Khan (Qatar), Muhammad Ikram (Qatar), Himanshu Rathod (Qatar), Imal Liyanage (Qatar), Adnan Mirza (Qatar)
Flying Oryx
Owner: TBC
Andre Fletcher (West Indies), Hussain Talat (Pakistan), Krishmar Santokie (West Indies), Kennar Lewis (West Indies), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Sompal Kami (Nepal), Abdul Shakoor (UAE), Assad Borham (Qatar), Hamandeep Singh (India), Bilawal Iqbal (Pakistan - Associate), Noman Sarwar (Qatar), Musawar Khan (Qatar), Asif Raja (Qatar), Imran Ashraf (Qatar), Jassim Khan (Qatar), Bilal Butt (Qatar)
Heat Stormers
Owner: Raj Go Search Australia Travel and Transport Pvt Ltd
Manpreet Singh (India), Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Mohammed Naeem Islam (Bangladesh), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Rishu Chopra (India - Associate), Sandeep Singh (UAE), Scott Edwards (Netherlands), Rana Naeem Anwar (Oman), Gayan Buddika (Qatar), Raja Amir (Qatar), Andri Berenger (Qatar), Dharmang Patel (Qatar), Imraz rafi (Qatar), Owais Ahmed (Qatar), Talal Ahmad Khan (Qatar), Afsarullah Khan (Qatar).
Pearl Gladiators
Owner: Krishan Kumar and Nikhil Sun N Sands Hotels (UAE)
Mohamed Sami (Pakistan), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka), Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan), Malinda Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka), Afsar Zarzai (Afghanistan), Kareem Sadique (Afghanistan), Fahad Nawaz (UAE), Adil Khan (Nepal), Mehran Khan (Oman), Faisal Khan (Qatar), Khurram Shahzad (Qatar), Mohammad Nafees (Qatar), Qalandar Khan (Qatar), Mohammad Nadeem (Qatar), Saqlain Arshad (Qatar), Philip Joseph (Qatar)
Swift Gallopers
Owner: Aman Grover LL
Technologies LLC (Global Mark Group) UAE
Luke Wright (England) , Kamran Akmal (Pakistan), Imran Nazir (Pakistan), Danza Hayat (West Indies), Shafiqullah Shafiq (Afghanistan), Richmond Mutumbami (Zimbabwe), Anish Tandon (UAE), Chirag Suri (UAE), Jahanzeb Naveed (Pakistan - Associate), Ravinder Pal Singh (Canada), Sufiyan Mehmod (Oman), Zaheeruddeen Ibrahim (Qatar), Inam Ul Haq (Qatar), Sadiq NM (Qatar), Zainuddin (Qatar), Syed Yousuf Tameem (Qatar)
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