The Abu Dhabi T10 is preparing for a fresh start under a revamped leadership structure, with the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub (ADCSH) taking full control of the short format tournament.
While T10 is a unique format so far exclusive to the UAE, there is potential for considerable growth. With that in mind, the ADCSH, which is home to the Zayed Cricket Stadium, has taken complete ownership of the Abu Dhabi T10 with the aim of providing greater structure and continuity to the tournament.
Some of the issues that hampered the tournament in the past were regular changes in team ownership and late player signings, which affected the tournament’s ability to achieve its full potential in the competitive world of franchise cricket.
Abu Dhabi T10’s new CEO Matt Boucher, who is also the chief executive of ADCSH, believes having a clear structure, planning in advance and having a predictable line-up of teams and players will raise the profile of the competition.
ADCSH has invited fresh bids for franchise ownership, which will mark the beginning of a new chapter for Abu Dhabi T10.
“I think over the last two to three years, there has been a lot of change of owners, and that’s definitely something we would like to improve with new 10-year agreements and standard agreements for all the owners,” Boucher told The National.
“So, we are looking at retaining a couple of the best owners from previously. We’re already in discussions with them. We’re really excited about those conversations, and then we will have an invitation process at the end of June to more of an international market. Whether that’s international business houses, private investors, or franchisees and owners that we all know about through global sport.”
Boucher, as chief executive of ADCSH, had overseen the hosting of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. Now, the Abu Dhabi body, with the support of Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Cricket Board, will assume greater control of the organisation and delivery of the tournament which they have been hosting since 2019.
“We knew in 2019 that we had a potentially fantastic event. At that time, it was very much a vertical hosting agreement. Over the years, we got more and more involved," he added.
“[Now we are] able to steer the ship a little bit more than we have been able to in the past. So the key strategic deliverables, we can now dictate. We still respect all the partners and all our private and public stakeholders, but we can make those key decisions.”
According to Boucher, Abu Dhabi T10 has a strong base to build on.
“I think our viewership is already strong. We've had fantastic support of some linear partners in India. They have changed over the years as well. So there isn't really a regularity with that, which is something that we've identified and something we want to improve," he said.
“We've got a strong broadcast platform. We know people are interested in watching the event. It's two to three matches every evening for 13 days. It's very condensed, and it's a different form of cricket. It's our job now to really try and create a more stable platform for those international broadcasters.”
The aim, according to Boucher, is to allow fans to plan for the Abu Dhabi T10 well in advance and to create considerable awareness in the months leading up to the tournament.
He said: “I think there's probably 20 to 30 areas that we've identified that we want to improve. Most of those come with early decisions. Earlier tender and procurement work and just making stronger and earlier decisions on who we would like to work with for the event. And not being so pressurised into decisions in the build-up to the event.
“So, again, the stability of that decision-making taking place four or five months out, when it comes to fan activations, the product. That's really important when you're talking broadcast production and fan activation companies. Every event that's successful in Abu Dhabi is confirmed well in advance … four months before. So it's our job now to bring that timeline as early as possible.”
There is already considerable interest from potential investors, with around “20 to 25 outreaches at the moment”.
The T10 franchises are likely to be on the radar of some established investors in the world of franchise cricket, including Indian Premier League team owners. The recent sale of teams in the Hundred competition in the UK and the privatisation attempts in the Big Bash League in Australia have once again underlined the growing market for franchise cricket.
“Certainly there are a crop of brilliant organisations that are at the top of the franchise leagues all around the world. A selection of those and a selection of new fresh ownership eyes would be an ideal outcome,” Boucher said.
“And it's not just all focused on one country. It's more of a global and an international perspective. And also, we hope a couple of UAE owners, business houses and entities might also be interested in the proposition. That would be great.”
Abu Dhabi T10, which takes place from November 7-20 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium this year, has big plans not only for this year but beyond. There is a plan to expand from eight to 10 teams in 2029 and explore more additions after that. But for now, the focus is on a fresh start in 2026.
