Gulf Giants have reinforced their squad ahead of their DP World International League T20 title defence by signing the player who holds the record for the fastest Pakistan Super League century.
The champions recruited Usman Khan on Friday morning as the six franchises completed their UAE player quotas ahead of season two, which starts in January.
Thirteen players earned deals to fill the 24 spaces available for domestic players in the T20 competition.
That includes eight UAE-raised players who are under 23 years old. Among the remainder are players who are yet to feature in international competition for the country, and some of whom are yet to qualify for selection.
Usman struck the faster ton in the history of Pakistan’s T20 franchise tournament back in March. He reached the milestone in 43 balls opening the batting for Multan Sultans against Quetta Gladiators in Rawalpindi.
That innings brought him national celebrity in his country of origin, and speculation quickly gathered that he might be on the brink of Pakistan selection.
However, Usman immediately scotched that talk, saying he was committed to qualifying for his adopted country and playing for the UAE.
It had been hoped he would be available for the selection for the national team in their all-important T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Nepal, starting later this month.
He arrived in Dubai in October 2020, meaning he should be eligible under the ICC’s three-year residency rule.
However, there has been a debate over whether he has spent the sufficient amount of days in each of those three years in the country.
ICC rules dictate the player must spend “at least 10 months actual physical presence in the relevant country” to be considered a resident.
Usman has spent periods outside of the UAE in the past three years, playing in both the PSL and the Bangladesh Premier League.
The Emirates Cricket Board believe those absences are mitigated by the rules which state absences “to travel to another country to play cricket on behalf of their national cricket federation in an organised tour” are permissible.
He is not, though, part of the national team squad for their tri-series involving Nepal and Hong Kong in Kathmandu, or the Qualifier which follows.
Eight leading UAE quota players drafted in ILT20
Among the other new recruits for the ILT20, Asif Khan landed a deal to play with MI Emirates.
The batter stated his case in the clearest terms possible as he dominated the final phase of the ILT20 development tournament earlier this month.
He will be joined at the franchise by the established UAE stars Muhammad Waseem and Zahoor Khan, each of whom was retained from last season, and uncapped Mohammed Rohid Khan.
In Friday morning’s draft via Zoom, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders recruited Alishan Sharafu and Adithya Shetty.
Rahul Chopra, Haider Ali and Vriitya Aravind will play alongside the likes of Mark Wood and David Warner at the Dubai Capitals.
Basil Hameed and Nilansh Keswani will go to Sharjah Warriors, while Zohaib Zubair will join Usman at Gulf Giants.
Aryan Lakra and Karthik Meiyappan have been snapped up by Desert Vipers, the ILT20 runners-up in the opening season.
The former UAE U19 captain and vice-captain respectively are currently out of favour with the national team, but Phil Oliver, the Vipers chief executive, is glad to bring them to the franchise.
“I believe they are a perfect fit for the Desert Vipers and are two young players who are very much on the up,” Oliver said.
“Aryan offers us the left-arm option that we were previously lacking in the spin department and Karthik will join up with fellow leg-spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan to ensure we are well catered for in that area.
“And both players will have the chance to work with our outstanding spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe who will play a big role in helping them take their games forward.
“It all adds up to an exciting time for us and an exciting time for the two young players we have drafted.”
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
HAJJAN
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