<p>Pakistan&#39;s Shahid&nbsp; Afridi&nbsp;was among a host of star names to compete in the inaugural T10 League last year.&nbsp;Francois Nel / Getty Images</p>
<p>Pakistan&#39;s Shahid&nbsp; Afridi&nbsp;was among a host of star names to compete in the inaugural T10 League last year.&nbsp;Francois Nel / Getty Images</p>

T10 League remains unrivalled as organisers announce expansion plans ahead of second edition



Organisers of the T10 League say they “see no competitors” to their event in what promises to be a packed calendar for cricket in the UAE next winter.

The league will be expanded for its second season, with the addition of two new teams confirmed by Shaji Ul Mulk, the T10 chairman, and Salman Iqbal, its president, in Dubai on Wednesday.

It means eight teams will play 10 over matches over the course of 10 days – up from four days in the first season in December.

Karachians, a team representing the city in Pakistan, and Northern Warriors, an Indian franchise, are the expansion teams.

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Team Sri Lanka will also be rebranded, becoming Rajasthani Heroes, and will draw players from all over the world, rather than just Sri Lanka.

Next season will be extremely busy for cricket in the Emirates, starting with the showpiece one-day international tournament, the Asia Cup, in September.

Pakistan’s national team are likely to host two bilateral series, while the new Afghanistan franchise Twenty20 league is also set to be played here.

The UAE is also believed to be the preferred destination for the Board of Control for Cricket in India if the Indian Premier League is forced to relocate next season.

Part of the 2014 IPL was played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi due to the general election. It is possible the same could happen in April 2019.

Despite the surfeit of cricket, Ul Mulk is confident his event will remain popular, having sold out Sharjah Cricket Stadium on two days last year, and coming close to doing the same on the other two.

“We see no competitors, really,” Ul Mulk said. “T10 was the only tournament that had all packed stadiums [last winter].”

When Ul Mulk first indicated there was a number of interested parties vying to own a new franchise earlier this year, he said other countries had shown an interest in the 10-over concept, notably England and West Indies.

Since then, England have announced controversial plans for a new league played in a convoluted 100-ball format. Ul Mulk said he remains in talks with other boards, though.

“Our vision is to see T10 become an integral part of domestic and international cricket all over the world,” Ul Mulk said. “We are discussing with various full member country boards to take T10 to all these countries.

“On a domestic front, Ajman Cricket Council has just concluded two T10 tournaments and feedback from the teams is very encouraging.”

Iqbal said he believes T10 has already “proven itself.”

“We faced challenges when we first launched as players were hesitant to sign on because of the last private cricket venture to be staged in UAE, the Masters Champions League,” Iqbal said.

“However, in just one year T10 has proven itself. If the interest continues to grow at this rate, we might even take cricket to the Olympics.”

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SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

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Overview

What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.

When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.

Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.

Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.

Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.

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Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

Joe Root's Test record

Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD

The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns

Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev

Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy

United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

Singles match
Triple H v John Cena

To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

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Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon

For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

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