USA's SAMP Army franchise 'here to stay' after joining Abu Dhabi T10 family

Owner Ritesh Patel and CEO Madhukar Shree look to bring expertise in American cricket market and IPL to UAE

Fans enjoy Abu Dhabi T10 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Satish Kumar for The National

The Abu Dhabi T10 family is growing and it is attracting suitors from half way across the globe.

This year's edition will see the addition of two teams to the roster — New York Strikers and Morrisville SAMP Army.

SAMP Army are an established cricket franchise in the US. They take part in competitive matches across America and are closely associated with USA Cricket, with a squad including national team players such as captain Monank Patel, Aaron Jones, and former skipper Saurabh Netravalkar in their team.

Team owner Ritesh Patel has deep roots in US cricket; he also owns an indoor cricket and multi-sport complex. Helping him in his latest venture in UAE is CEO Madhukar Shree, who brings with him vast experience of handling the commercial and development side of franchise cricket in various tournament across the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The franchise announced star South African cricketer David Miller as their marquee player for this season, which will take place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium from November 23 to December 4. Miller is the flavour of the season in T20 cricket, smashing 32 off 19 balls during the chase to help Gujarat Titans defeat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL final. He is doing a similar job for Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League.

Other big names such as South African quick Anrich Nortje, West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer and England all-rounder Moeen Ali have been included. That has laid the foundation for a strong unit.

"The whole plan is to put in our best not just in terms of players, but also support staff, marketing, social media, management, events, activation. We are here to stay," CEO Shree told The National.

"We are trying to get a few big names. If you look at our four signings, a couple of them were not part of T10 before but now are."

Abu Dhabi T10 team of the tournament for 2021

1). Evin Lewis (Delhi Bulls) - 216 runs; 242.69 strike rate. Unfortunately for Delhi he only stayed for a good time and not a long time in the final. Hit his first ball for six, but did not stick around past the third over. He had been destructive at the top of the order. All photos Courtesy Abu Dhabi Cricket

2). Mohammed Wasim (Northern Warriors, UAE) - 212 runs; 225.53 strike rate. Not yet a UAE international, but it won’t be long now. By the end of his breakout tournament, the commentators were saying he and Pooran were the key men for the Northern Warriors. That is illustrious company. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Cricket

3). Nicholas Pooran (Northern Warriors, wicketkeeper) - 241 runs; 243.43 strike rate. The pocket powerhouse has a fair claim to being regarded as the leading player in the short history of T10 cricket to date. His six hitting caught the eye, but he excelled as a leader, too.

4). Sohail Akhtar (Qalandars) - 248 runs; 187.7 strike rate. Continued his affinity with Abu Dhabi. It was there that he captained the Qalandars to their first silverware, in the AD T20 festival a few seasons back. The leading run-scorer.

5). Rovman Powell (Northern Warriors) - 192 runs; 240 strike rate. Given his frenzied pitch invasion when they beat Team Abu Dhabi on the last ball of the eliminator, this tournament obviously meant a lot to him. Apt that he hit the winning runs in the final.

6). Fabian Allen (Northern Warriors) - 11 wickets; 9.81 economy. It was no fun being a spinner in this tournament. Rohan Mustafa and Sultan Ahmed were thriftier, but Allen’s wickets were crucial in getting his side to the final.

7). Obed McCoy (Team Abu Dhabi) - 10 wickets; 8.17 economy. Other than the UAE players, McCoy was the find of the tournament. The young West Indian left-armer has a slower ball that should be punching tickets to the big leagues.

8. Ali Khan (Delhi Bulls) - Seven wickets; 8.93 economy. Deprived a shot at a hat-trick by a combination of split webbing on his bowling hand and a tight hamstring. He had figures of three for none off five balls at that point. Courtesy photo

9). Shiraz Ahmed (Delhi Bulls, UAE) - Three wickets; 7.67 economy. Had a great commendation before the tournament even started when Andy Flower took him to his new franchise, after they won the title together last season. He repaid his coach’s faith admirably. Chris Whiteoak / The National

10). Junaid Siddique (Northern Warriors, UAE) - 11 wickets; 11.50 economy. Only Jamie Overton (12) took more wickets than the UAE pacer. In the final, he took the crucial scalps of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sherfane Rutherford

11). Zahoor Khan (Deccan Gladiators, UAE) - Six wickets; 8.27 economy. Surely a move to one of the world’s biggest T20 franchise leagues must be beckoning? He exerts extraordinary control in the T10 format every season.

Since the Indian connection with franchise cricket is growing stronger, especially ahead of the launch of the International League T20 in UAE next year that boasts IPL heavyweights Reliance Industries and Knight Riders, all eyes will be on whether SAMP Army can bag any top Indian talent.

"Indian players are always on our mind, without a question," owner Patel said. "We have all strategies in mind. But at the end of the day, it depends on the combination and what we need. Indian players, yes absolutely, but we also want the best from across the globe."

The best is what will be needed. Abu Dhabi T10 is, after all, growing at a rapid pace. Last season, the league's total economic impact was valued at $621.2 million, while the competition reached 342 million television and over-the-top (OTT) digital viewers.

According to organisers, Abu Dhabi T10's sponsorship value has risen by a staggering 81 per cent to $279.3 million. That should provide SAMP Army multiple avenues to purse financial success along with wins on the field.

"The revenue stream for us would be the central pool which will form a good chunk of money from broadcasters and central sponsors. Apart from that, we are looking at franchise sponsors, with a market in UAE, India and US. We have a total of nine to 10 spots on the jersey. We will try and maximise that," Shree, who has previously worked as a consultant for IPL side Punjab Kings, said.

"In terms of social media, we will enjoy following from India, UAE and USA. It’s just the first year. We will do a few activations and events, do things off season. We will club our sponsors with the tournaments we play in the US over the season. We will have something or the other going on throughout the year."

The 2022 edition of the T10 competition will be the fourth since it moved from Sharjah to the capital.