DUBAI // The UAE are emerging as front-runners to host the Champions League Twenty20 later this year after impressing Indian cricket officials with their organisation of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The first 20 matches of the 2014 IPL were moved to the UAE because of the general elections in India and the huge turnouts at all three stadiums – Sharjah Stadium, the Dubai International Stadium and the Zayed Cricket Stadium in the capital – have pleasantly surprised officials.
"We have been absolutely blown away by the crowds that have turned up, even for the 2.30pm games," said Sunil Gavaskar, the interim chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“We had initially thought that while the 6.30pm games would not have too much of an issue, we might not have a full house for the 2.30pm games, but we’ve had a full house.
“I think 19 of the 20 games have been sell-outs and that is a sure sign of how the IPL has caught the imagination of the cricket-loving public here in the UAE.”
Gavaskar, an Indian batting legend, lauded the country’s authorities for their support in making the IPL a success and he hinted that the UAE could be rewarded with the Champions League – a tournament jointly owned by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa.
“It’s not been an easy task to move an event of the scale of the IPL in the short time we had,” Gavaskar said. “The authorities and the stadiums have delivered exactly what they promised.
“The fact that it [the IPL] has been such a huge success here is certainly an encouraging sign, simply because it is an option that we will always have.”
Gavaskar expects a decision on the Champions League to be made as soon as the IPL comes to an end on June 1, with the final in Mumbai, “because then it gives us three to four months to prepare”.
Ranjib Biswal, the chairman of the IPL’s governing council, also seems enthusiastic about the chances of UAE hosting the event, which brought together 12 teams last year – the domestic Twenty20 champions of New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the champions and runners-up from Australia and South Africa, and the top four teams of the IPL.
“We are thinking about it,” he said. “We are very happy with the response here so far, but nothing’s decided yet.
“We will see how it goes.”
According to figures revealed by Gavaskar on Monday, this year’s IPL has been an unqualified success.
The average television ratings points (TRP) for this season is 4.4, an improvement on 2013’s 4.1
For the first seven days of the IPL, the number of people watching online has doubled from 6 million viewers in 2013 to 12 million.
The page views on IPLT20.com have increased by 50 per cent on 2013, with 89 million page views from April 1 to 26.
On Facebook, the IPL page has received 8.6m likes; the figure was 3.3m at the end of the 2013 season.
On Twitter, the IPL now has 1.4m followers – the first Indian brand to go beyond a million followers, which is what they had at the end of the 2013 season. Given those figures and the enthusiasm of the fans here, Ravi Shastri, a former India captain and member of the IPL’s governing council, believes the UAE deserves to host the Champions League.
"Of course, Champions League here in UAE cannot get any better than this," said Shastri, who is also here as a TV commentator. "The fans here are proof."
Over the past six years, the Champions League has been held in India four times and twice in South Africa, but it has not been as well received by the audiences as the IPL, both at the stadiums and on TV.
Shastri believes the UAE, with its diverse expatriate population, could be the perfect host for such an event.
“You will have four IPL teams, not to forget the team from Pakistan,” he said. “Other teams from the world will have takers, too. This [UAE] is an international hub.”
But the biggest prize for successfully hosting the IPL could be an India-Pakistan series. Biswal said the BCCI has received a request from Pakistan to play a few matches and the “BCCI general body will take a decision on when to play and where to play”.
Gavaskar said: “I am certain the success of the IPL will make the BCCI look at it [the UAE] in a much more different way than it has in the past.
“I do believe there are moves to have a series against Pakistan. When? That is something that I am not aware of.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Kumar Shyam
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
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THE%20SPECS
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Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The five pillars of Islam
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
India cancels school-leaving examinations
