The Emirates Cricket Board, the governing body of the game in the United Arab Emirates announced its inaugural T20 domestic tournament for the country which would be played in January-February this year. The announcement was made on Monday, August 2.
The mega cricketing event which would come into existence after the Indian Premier League and World T20 have taken place in 2021, has been named Premier League T20 or PL T20. The tournament will be played between six teams.
Releasing a statement in regard to the new league, the ECB said, "UAE's Inaugural Premier League T20 will be played across UAE in January and February 2022. The new six-team franchise-style league has been sanctioned by Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Emirates Cricket Board Chairman Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.”
It has also been rumoured that Indian PremierLeague franchises would also be involved in owning the franchises based in various cities of UAE. The major players who have shown interest are the Shahrukh Khan-owned Knight Riders franchise and GMR, co-owners of Delhi Capitals.
The new league is being marked to have great foreign imports in the league and is also branding itself as the league that would have the most number of foreign players. "The hallmark of the new league is that it will have the highest number of international players in a squad. This unique aspect of the league will attract some of the biggest names in world cricket while also giving a platform and international exposure to upcoming players,” the ECB release said.