Cricket’s shortest format returns to the UAE this week and fans will get to enjoy the best of franchise cricket during November and December right at their doorstep.
The 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 begins on Tuesday and will run until the end of the month. A couple of days after that, it will be time for the DP World International League T20.
The schedule for franchise cricket in the UAE this year has been crunched since the T20 World Cup takes place in the subcontinent in February next year.
That means short-form cricket fans are in for a treat in the UAE, beginning with the T10 tournament that has come to define franchise cricket in the Emirates.
Who are the big stars?
Some very big names are participating in the tournament, including and Indian Premier League veterans Harbhajan Singh, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer, Piyush Chawla and Faf du Plessis.
Other franchise cricket superstars will also be in action, including T10 champion Nicholas Pooran, Alex Hales, Marcus Stoinis, and others.
How many teams are participating?
There are eight teams in the tournament this season, compared to 10 last term. Deccan Gladiators are the defending champions while there are a few new teams in the competition.
Aspin Stallions will be making their debut this season. The Stallions are owned by Ahmad Khoori, former senior vice president of Emirates Airlines.
The team will have India’s World Cup champion and IPL star Harbhajan in their ranks. The veteran spinner has returned to competitive cricket at the age of 45.
Format
The tournament follows a round-robin format, where each team faces each team during the league stage. After the completion of group matches, the top four teams in the points table will advance to the play-offs.
There, teams will face off in qualifiers and an eliminator, culminating in the title match.
Dates and where to watch
The tournament starts on Tuesday and the final will take place on November 30. The opening clash will be between new team Quetta Qavalry and Northern Warriors, followed by a clash between defending champions Deccan Gladiators and Delhi Bulls.
Matches take place from 3pm, 5.45pm and 8pm UAE time. The Abu Dhabi T10 will be shown live on the Fancode app. The games will be held the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
What they said
T10 chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said he hopes to deliver another season of quality entertainment.
"The teams are gearing up for a thrilling edition of the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10. Cricket’s fastest format continues to grow each year, and it’s always been our mission to deliver the most entertaining version of the game to fans around the world," he said.
"This journey wouldn’t be possible without the support of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board. Along with the Department of Culture & Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub."
Squads
Ajman Titans: Moeen Ali, Rilee Rossouw, Piyush Chawla, Will Smeed, Jason Behandroff, Alex Hales, Dan Lawrence, Asif Ali, Chris Green, Akif Javed, Zaman Khan, Aneurin Donald, Alishan Sharafu, Haider Ali, Wasim Akram, Luc Benkenstein, Tom Aspinwall, Joe Clarke, Asif Khan
Aspin Stallions: Sam Billings, Tymal Mills, Harbhajan Singh, Andre Fletcher, Avishka Fernando, Sherfane Rutherford, Binura Fernando, Saif Hassan, Ryan Burl, Akhilesh Bodugum, Ali Khan, Ben Cutting, Zohair Iqbal, Essam Muti Ur Rab, Hafeez ur Rehman, Ashmead Nedd, Matthew Hurst, Monank Patel, Harshit Seth
Deccan Gladiators: Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Richard Gleeson, Usman Tariq, David Wiese, Lahiru Kumara, Jordan Thompson, Dilpreet Singh Bajwa, Jake Ball, Ibrar Ahmed, Muhammad Jawadullah, Ajay Kumar, Ali Raza, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Laurie Evans, Mark Chapman
Delhi Bulls: Rovman Powell, Phil Salt, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarubani, Salman Irshad, James Vince, Tom Moores, Qais Ahmed, Mir Hamza, James Coles, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Farhan Khan, Brian Bennett, Arab Gul, Romario Shepherd, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Northern Warriors: Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Thisara Perera, Johnson Charles, Colin Munro, Azmatullah Omarzai, Tabrzi Shamsi, Odean Smith, Shahnawaz Dahani, Dinesh Chandimal, Hazratullah Zazai, Asitha Fernando, Sagar Kalyan, Yakin Kiran Rai, Shahid Iqbal Bhutta, Bilal Sami, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kadeem Alleyne
Quetta Qavalry: Liam Livingstone, Jason Holder, Mohammad Amir, Sikandar Raza, Andries Gous, Evin Lewis, Imran Tahir, Fabian Allen, Abbas Afridi, Irfan Khan Niazi, George Scrimshaw, Khawaja Nafay, Muhammad Waseem, Abdul Ghaffa, Khuzaima Bin Tanvir, Arafat Minhas, Umar Lohya, Gudakesh Motie, Ali Nasser
Royal Champs: Jason Roy, Angelo Mathews, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Jordan, Daniel Sams, Mohammad Shehzad, Niroshan Dickwella, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Dawson, Brandon McMullen, Isuru Udana, Quentin Sampson, Rahul Chopra, Haider Razzaq, Zahid Ali, Kelvin Pitman, Vishen Halambage, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Aaron Jones
Vista Riders: Faf du Plessis, Matthew Wade, S Sreesanth, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Andrew Tye, Unmukt Chand, Ben McDermott, Dilshan Madhushanka, Nahid Rana, Angelo Perera, Sean Dickson, Harshit Kaushik, Ansh Tandon, CP Rizwan, Izharullahaq Naveed, Ackeem Auguste, Murali Vijay, Sharafuddin Ashraf
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
India cancels school-leaving examinations
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
SWEET%20TOOTH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jim%20Mickle%2C%20Beth%20Schwartz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Christian%20Convery%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
