The Abu Dhabi T10 cricket league to be held from Nov 14 will have a new team called Bangla Tigers. The T10 league, which is the shortest format in the game, and which will stage its third edition will attract Bangladeshi fans and bring them to the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, reports Gulf News.
Bangladeshi businessmen Yasin Chowdhury and Sirajuddin Alam, the owners of the new Abu Dhabi T10 team, Bangla Tigers, said that it is a proud day for Bangladesh after signing the contract with the League.
“We are happy to be able to represent Bangladesh and we are here to promote Bangladesh cricket and to participate in a big event like the Abu Dhabi T10 cricket league. It is a proud day for us and we hope the Bangladesh community will embrace us. We are working to build a formidable team where a number of Bangladeshi cricketers are expected to play,” said Chowdhury.
Sirajuddin Alam, meanwhile, said talks are ongoing to sign top Bangladesh cricketers.
“There are about 700,000 Bangladeshi people living in the UAE and we want to give them a flavour of this team. We are not the owners, the Bangladeshi people are the owners of this team. We want to see them in the stadium, supporting us. It will add good value to the tournament as well. We are trying to bring top Bangladesh cricketers though we have a series against India during the League. Still, we are hopeful of bringing some top names,” said Alam.
Incidentally, Bangladeshis make up the third-largest expatriate community in the UAE.
The ten-day Abu Dhabi T10 opens with a star-studded opening day performance involving Bollywood entertainers on Nov 14 with the final to be held on Nov 24. The first two editions of the T10 league drew sold-out crowds at Sharjah Cricket Stadium and was watched by millions of fans across the Gulf Countries, India and South Asia.
