Moeen Ali wants to see bright future for UAE with start of ILT20
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Sharjah Warriors captain says the
league’s job will be done if the UAE becomes a formidable international side
Dubai, January 13: The inaugural DP World International
League T20 is all set to make a grand debut at the ‘Ring of Fire’ Dubai
International Stadium starting January 13 following a glittering opening
ceremony.
The
captains in the UAE’s six-team tournament, the second-richest in world cricket
after the Indian Premier League, addressed the media on the eve of the
tournament with Moeen Ali, the leader of Sharjah Warriors, making a pertinent
point on what the league means for domestic players.
“As
captains, it is not just our job to lead but also guide the youngsters so they
can go on to play on the big stage and establish a brilliant international side
in the next 5-10 years. If we can produce future stars, our job in the league
is done,” said Moeen, who has played a lot of cricket in the UAE and recently
led Morrisville Samp Army to the T10 League play-offs and eventually third
place.
The
league will comprise 34 matches in total on a home-and-away basis until the
knockout stages with two teams in Abu Dhabi, three based in Dubai and Sharjah
Warriors representing the emirate further up north in the UAE typography.
Asked
by emcee Ian Bishop on what can fans expect from their local team apart from
becoming the first winners of the league, the quick-witted ‘Moe’ had the last
word among the captains: “We would like to play good cricket and provide some
nice entertainment to the fans, but more importantly, we want Sharjah to be the
loudest ground in the ILT20.”
“The
league is starting and it is important to keep this growing, the cricket on the
field has to be exciting and entertaining so we can inspire the next generation
of cricketers.”
Sharjah
Warriors will play their first two matches away in Abu Dhabi and Dubai against
MI Emirates and Desert Vipers respectively before taking on MI Emirates again
as hosts at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The opening ceremony of the DP
World ILT20 will have the electrifying Badshah and Derulo performances performing
at 5:15 pm GST, followed by the first match of the league between Dubai
Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at 6.45 pm. Fans can enjoy the glittering
performance and the high-octane opening match from as little as AED22. Enticing
‘Friends and Family’ packages are on offer for an incredible AED60 - for two
adults and two children, and AED80 for a group of four. More information about
these packages and to purchase tickets can be found by visiting https://tickets.ilt20.ae
The franchise teams, comprising
over 100 International and 24 UAE-based players, are Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
(Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR),
Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah
Warriors (Capri Global).
Cricket fans across the world
can catch the LIVE telecast of this exciting cricket league on ZEE’s linear
channels, digital platform, Zee5 as well as Zee Cinema SD, Zee Cinema HD,
Zee Anmol Cinema, &Pictures HD, &Flix SD, &Flix HD, Zee Zest SD,
Zee Zest HD, Zee Bangla Cinema, Zee Thirai, and on CricLife across the UAE and MENA regions.
DP World ILT20 news,
updates and interactive chat can be found via www.ilt20.ae and @ILT20Official on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat and LinkedIn, while tickets can be purchased by visiting https://tickets.ilt20.ae.
