DUBAI: Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the apex governing body of cricket in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced Thursday that it will not being going ahead with its flagship T20 franchise-based tournament, the UAE T20x league which was scheduled to take place from December 2018-January 2019.
The ECB has consulted the principal event promoters, OPi before taking this decision. It follows the conclusion of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) process for tournament franchises.
Both the ECB and OPi had been hopeful of achieving the sale of five franchise teams for the first year of the tournament, and whilst negotiations had been completed on two franchise teams and a further three were well advanced, it was felt that there was no longer sufficient time to close the sales process and to successfully deliver and promote the event a month less than a month prior to its start.
OPi, a privately-owned sports promoter, and the ECB had been working together since 2017 to develop the new franchise league, and had attracted interest and support from many of the world’s leading players and coaches. The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July to explore potential limitations on T20 cricket leagues and player participation in them, meant that investment into UAE T20x had to be curtailed throughout the summer in anticipation of a decision. This in turn impacted timings around commercial conversations with potential franchise buyers.
However, the UAE will see a good amount of slam-bang cricket this winter with the Shaji-ul-Mulk promoted T10 League and the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The ECB’s coffers could be filled further if the BCCI opts for the country to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) from March-April next year as it did in 2014 due to the Lok Sabha elections.
