Indian T20 League teams get a big boost regarding the recruitment of players
Kolkata-Mumbai-Delhi (Image Source: BCCI/IPL)
The UAE T20 League is set to begin shortly. In what comes in as a big boost for the Indian T20 League teams in the tournament, they can sign players from their ITL teams. The three teams from Indian T20 League that will participate in the tournament are- Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. These teams can bring in as many as four players from the original ITL team.
Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) secretary General Mubashir Usmani spoke to Cricbuzz on the development. He said – “Each franchise will be allowed to sign four players of their choice outside of the draft or auction which we will decide later. It could be any player who has a NOC from his home board.”
Speaking of the UAE T20 League, six teams will be participating in it. Apart from the three ITL teams, three other teams playing in the contest will be owned by the Adani Group, Manchester United owners Glazers family, and Capri Global.
In case of selection of players for the team, the franchises will be given a total of $2 Million purse. This is the highest in any franchise-based T20 league except the Indian T20 League. It is yet to be decided by the authorities whether the teams will be selected on the basis of an auction or a draft.
The organizers are trying their best to avoid competition with the Indian T20 League. Hence, they will try and avoid the auction system and are more inclined to go forward with the draft system as is common in the Pakistan Super League. However, they are trying to devise a way to give equal advantages to the new teams besides the three ITL teams in the tournament. This is to ensure neutrality from the organizational standpoint.
The inaugural edition of the UAE T20 League is going to begin soon. It has been proposed that the tournament will be held from early January to the middle of February of 2023. Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa (CSA) is also planning to launch a league of its own. As per rumors, the tournament is scheduled to be held at the same time as the UAE T20 League. But the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is looking to hold talks with CSA to avoid the potential clash of dates.
