Sport

ILT20: Franchise owners and players upbeat about the new league

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2023

It’s been almost a week since the maiden match in the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates and while stadiums haven’t as yet filled up, the stakeholders - players, franchise owners, sponsors and broadcasters alike - are happy with it so far.

Venky Mysore, the CEO of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, part of the Knight Riders brand with a presence in various T20 leagues, said in an interview with Cricbuzz: "Optics may not be great but all the franchises are happy with the business model and how it is being organized.

“It is the only tournament where the owners will not suffer losses like other leagues happening simultaneously," he said.

But without any major Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi participation, the crowds have been staying away. However, television audiences have been strong.
"The tournament has been doing very well back home in India. There were 1.5 million concurrent viewers for the opening ceremony in which some international stars performed. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of Knight Riders, was a huge hit," says an official of Zee TV, the broadcasters of the league.

Emirates Cricket Board's secretary general Mubashir Usmani told Cricbuzz the fun is yet to come. "The intensity of the competition will heat-up as the teams aim to position themselves at the top of the league's table, the viewer at home and abroad, through the top-quality production and broadcast, is in for an absolute feast of engaging, thrilling cricketing action," he said.

More than anything else, the tournament is being seen as a much-wanted initiative for the UAE players, who, otherwise unheralded in world cricket, are coming into their own.

In the second game of the league MI Emirates' Muhammad Waseem, a UAE batsman, emerged as the player of the match for a batting performance that overshadowed stalwarts of his side like Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and Dwayne Bravo. In the third game, local bowler Sanchit Sharma claimed the honors for the Adani-owned Gulf Giants, Cricbuzz reported.

"It is a unique league with a few teams new to franchise cricket. It is based in the UAE where a lot of cricket is played here, be it the ICC or Asian or Pakistan events. It is the first tournament of their own and there is a huge cricketing community here. It can only grow," says Tom Moody, the head of the Desert Vipers side.

Afghan cricket fans can also tune in to watch this new league as Ariana Television is broadcasting each match live. For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE.

Up Next

Emirates Cricket Board CEO upbeat about new International League T20

Don't Miss

Ronaldo v Messi: the last dance in Saudi Arabia or a fresh start?

Sport

Afghanistan clinches ODI series victory against Zimbabwe

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan's national cricket team triumphed over Zimbabwe by 8 wickets in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) to claim the series victory.

In a dominant bowling display, Afghanistan dismissed Zimbabwe for just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. The Afghan batsmen then chased down the target comfortably in 26.5 overs, losing only 2 wickets along the way.

The standout performer of the match was Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who took a remarkable 5 wickets, while Rashid Khan supported with 3 wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai and Farid Ahmad each claimed 1 wicket.

The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain, but Afghanistan bounced back strongly in the second match, securing a commanding 232-run victory.

This series win follows Afghanistan's earlier success in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, further cementing their dominance in international cricket.

Sport

Bangla Tigers lift Lanka T10 Super League title

Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ariana News

Hambantota Bangla Tigers beat favorites Jaffna Titans by 26 runs in Thursday’s Lanka T10 Super League final at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.

The Tigers produced a fine all-round performance to beat the Titans, who had won all their matches in the lead up to the final.

Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.

Hambantota Bangla Tigers, put into bat first, posted 133 for seven from their allotted 10 overs through some useful contributions from their top order batsmen.

The openers Mohammad Shahzad and Kusal Perera added 35 runs from 2.4 overs before they suffered a middle order collapse and reached 59 for three at the halfway stage of the innings.

However, skipper Dasun Shanaka and Shevon Daniel revived the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 44 runs in three overs.

Shanaka made 21 with two sixes and two boundaries while Daniel struck 26 with one six and three boundaries before Kennar Lewis and Dhananjaya Lakshan added the finishing touches.

Chasing 133 runs for victory, Jaffna Titans lost wickets at regular intervals and they eventually finished at 107 for six despite a fighting unbeaten half century from middle order batsman Tom Abell.
Richard Gleeson wrecked the Hambantota Bangla Tigers’ innings with excellent figures of three wickets for 21 while Shanaka captured two wickets for four runs.