While the focus of the sporting world is on Qatar and the Fifa World Cup, another sporting carnival concluded in the Gulf region as Abu Dhabi T10 completed a successful season.
The sixth edition of cricket' newest format did face the challenge of being staged alongside the biggest event on the planet, but it had a few things going for it – namely two new franchises from across the Atlantic.
New York Strikers and Morrisville Samp Army are established names in the nascent American cricket market and ventured out of the continent for the first time.
And it has turned out to be a dream start for both franchises. Strikers and Samp Army finished first and second in the group phase of the T10 tournament. The Strikers made it all the way to the final, where the ultimately lost to Deccan Gladiators by 37 runs on Sunday.
The New York team, owned by Sagar Khanna, won six out of seven games in the opening round to make an immediate mark on the tournament. Captained by veteran Kieron Pollard and bolstered by franchise cricket stars Rashid Khan, Eoin Morgan and Paul Stirling, the Strikers seemed to have found the perfect recipe for success on the field.
For any franchise, good results off the pitch are just as important for the long-term viability. It definitely helps to be a part of a business that is already attractive. Last season, the league's total economic impact was valued at $621.2 million, while the tournament reached 342 million television and over-the-top (OTT) digital viewers. Also, Abu Dhabi T10's sponsorship value rose by 81 per cent to $279.3 million last season.
Judging by those numbers, the future looks bright for Abu Dhabi T10 and a new franchise like New York Strikers.
The American team paid a franchise fee of $750,000, while player fees cost $400,000. One of the major sources of income for franchises is a share of the central pool, which includes Abu Dhabi T10 broadcast rights, ticket sales, advertisements and sponsorship. But the teams themselves need to build their source of revenue to grow their base. The Strikers are aware of the task at hand.
"We are trying to build a brand and by next year, I think we should break even," Khanna told The National.
"We are here to add value to the competition, not just fill in the numbers. After an incredible run in the United States, we are now expanding.
"Our main focus is to ensure that our players have the best opportunities and that our sponsors compensate them well."
Khanna realises that to stay competitive on the economic front, being pragmatic pays off.
"We are working hard to ensure that New York Strikers has one of the best merchandise reach for all cricket fans. Apart from sponsorship, we are leaving no stone unturned in focusing on franchising costs because, at the end of the day, your brand must be monetised."
Helping Khanna and the Strikers in their mission is Salman Hanif, who is their advisor. Hanif provides expertise in cricket operations in the UAE. He is Dubai Sports City's head of cricket business and is also associated with International League T20 – the UAE's own franchise T20 tournament that will begin early next year.
"Mr Hanif is our advisor and consultant guide who helps us understand how and where to improve. He is an expert who bring in a lot of experience as he has also been involved with the Asia Cup."
One of the reasons international entities are looking to UAE cricket market – be it through Abu Dhabi T10 or the new ILT20 – is the proximity to India's market and also the entry of IPL owners such as Reliance Industries and Knight Riders in UAE's franchise cricket sector.
"We are looking to sign a deal with a leading branding in the Gulf and Indian region. Hopefully we will close the deal before the end of the year," Khanna said.
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
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
MATCH DETAILS
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Slavia Prague 0
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Most%20ODI%20hundreds
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
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Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
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Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
