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UAE: Sehwag to lead Maratha Arabians in the T10 Cricket League; Wasim Akram is Coach

coastaldigest.com news network
December 2, 2017

The great warrior race of Marathas is all set to resume battle, but on a fresh battle ground, the cricket fields of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Named the Maratha Arabians, a franchise in the upcoming T10 Cricket League to be played over 10-overs-a-side, the squad featuring some of the world’s best known cricketers will do battle in the six-team tournament from 14-17 December.

Maratha Arabians is co-owned by Parvez Khan of Pacific Ventures, Bollywood Actor/Producer/Director Sohail Khan and Ali Tumbi of Aqua Properties.

Legendary India Opener Virender Sehwag was unveiled as the icon and captain of the franchise at the launch of the jersey of the side in Mumbai on Thursday.

Sehwag leads a squad featuring a number of stars including former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, Pakistan’s stars Mohammed Amir and Kamran Akmal. Former Pakistan captain.

Wasim Akram is the head coach and mentor of the squad with former England/Scotland cricketer Dougie Brown supporting him as the assistant coach. The squad consists of players from nine countries including India, England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, Netherlands and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The tournament is being staged under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), with official approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Speaking at the launch of the jersey, Sehwag said: “It is indeed a fresh start for cricket. I am excited about this format because it will be a lot of fun to play the kind of cricket I love. The fact that the tournament aims to entertain the fans at large fits in well with me because that has been my philosophy always. I look forward to rubbing shoulders with the best in the world once again at a historic venue like Sharjah.”

Maratha Arabians Co-owner Sohail Khan said: “Cricket has always been close to my heart. So when this opportunity came along, I was only too happy to get associated. It is a brilliant concept and as a team owner it provides us an excellent opportunity to maximise the popularity of the sport further. We have a fantastic squad with an iconic captain. It cannot get better than this.”

Maratha Arabians Co-owner Parvez Khan said: “At Pacific Ventures we have always been closely associated with cricket. We have a number of initiatives in the sport which confirms our love for the game. Owning a franchise in the format is a special honour for us because it takes us back to our roots in Maharashtra. The presence of a legend like Virender Sehwag as the captain provides us an excellent opportunity to put our best foot forward in a brand new format.”

This is the second such association for Parvez Khan with a legendary Indian cricketer, after Pacific Ventures recently launched a Cricket Academy in Dubai with Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) has been in operation for a couple of months at the Springdales School in Dubai. The former India captain, Dhoni, himself inaugurated the Academy during his recent visit to Dubai.

Maratha Arabians Co-owner Ali Tumbi said: “Maratha Arabians is an excellent marriage of two different regions and cultures. The franchise represents the warriors of two historic regions and will fight for every inch on the cricket field during the tournament. We have assembled the best possible squad in what will be the start of a new era for cricket.”

Squad: Virender Sehwag (captain/icon/India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Mohammed Amir (Pakistan), Alex Hales (England), Lendl Simmons (West Indies), Imad Wasim (Pakistan), Krishmar Santokie (West Indies), Rilee Rousouw (South Africa), Roelof van der Merwe (Netherlands), Kamran Akmal (Pakistan), Mohammed Sami (Pakistan), Hardus Viljoen (South Africa), Ross Whiteley (England), Shaiman Anwar (UAE), Zahoor Khan (UAE); Head Coach and Mentor: Wasim Akram; Assistant coach: Dougie Brown (England); Manager: Abdul Latif Khan

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News Network
January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Mar 4: The BCCI has decided to implement strict cost cutting measures with the notable decision being IPL 2020 champions' prize money will be halved as compared to 2019. In a circular sent to all IPL franchises, the BCCI has notified that instead of a whopping Rs 20 crore, the IPL champion team will now receive Rs 10 crore only. "The financial rewards have been reworked as a part of the cost cutting measures. The champions will get Rs 10 crore instead of Rs 20 crore. The runners-up will get Rs 6.25 crore from earlier Rs 12.5 crore," a BCCI notification, in possession of news agency, read.

The two losing qualifiers will now get Rs 4.375 crore each.

"The franchises are all in good health. They also have multiple ways like sponsorships to bolster their income. Hence the decision on prize money taken," a senior BCCI source said.

However, a state association hosting IPL games will get Rs 1 crore each with franchises and BCCI contributing Rs 50 lakh each.

It has also been learnt that mid-level BCCI employees won't be allowed to avail business class flights like earlier times for flying to the Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE) where the flying time is less than eight hours.

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News Network
July 14,2020

New Delhi, Jul 14: Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who features in the list of A category players released by BCCI, has revealed his first-ever paycheck.

Bhuvneshwar was participating in a question and answer session on Twitter where he gave his take on fans' queries.

The 30-year-old bowler was asked about his first paycheck by a fan and Bhuvneshwar responded by saying, "It was for Rs 3000. I shopped and still managed to saved some."

During the question and answer session Bhuvneshwar picked Barcelona striker Lionel Messi over Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

The right-arm bowler also revealed that football and badminton are his favourite sports other than cricket.

Earlier this year, Bhuvneshwar was named in the list A category of players. BCCI had released the list of centrally contracted players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020. Annually, A category players get Rs 5 crore.

The right-arm bowler would have been in action for Sunrisers Hyderabad if the Indian Premier League (IPL) had commenced from March 29. However, the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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