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

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Dhawan, Rahul can play, I might bat lower down: Kohli

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.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

RIP Rishi Kapoor: Virat, Shikhar condole demise

News Network

April 30,2020

New Delhi, Apr 30: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday mourned the demise of veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, called his death 'unreal and unbelievable' loss.

"This is unreal and unbelievable. Yesterday Irrfan Khan and today Rishi Kapoor ji. It's hard to accept this as a legend passes away today. My condolences to the family and may his soul rest in peace," Kohli tweeted.

Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
"It's shocking to hear about the sudden demise of #RishiKapoor ji. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace," Dhawan tweeted.

Earlier today, actor Amitabh Bachchan confirmed the news of the demise of the 67-year-old Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday.

In September 2019, the veteran actor returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment.

He was last seen in the 2019 film 'The Body' alongside Emraan Hashmi and Shobita Sobhita Dhulipala.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

United Ullal Sporting to host Kingdom Premier League-2020 under MCA Riyadh

Media Release

February 27,2020

Riyadh: Cricket Lovers are all geared up for the newly launched franchise based tournament - Kingdom Premier League (KPL) 2020 under the banner of Mangaluru Cricket Association (MCA) Riyadh.

SAQCO –SAAD AL QAHTANI CONTRACTING is the Mega Sponsor for the event and PARAMOUNT is the CO Sponsor.

The 6-team tournament is being played at MCA Grounds on Exit 18 in Riyadh beginning from 14 Feb and shall end on 20 March.

The Opening ceremony took place on AL-Mas Restaurant in Riyadh. The trophy launching as well as Jersey launching took place at the same event. Guests from various companies including SAQCO were present.

All teams will play at least one league Match against every other team. Top 4 teams in the table will qualify to play for the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator. The Winner of Qualifier 1 will be heading towards the final and the 2nd finalist will be the winner Qualifier 2 (Played between loser of Qualifier 1 and Winner of Eliminator). The Finals will be played on 20th March.

Below 6 Team names with their franchise owners and respective icon players.

BANCAA WARRIORS – RANJITH (TEAM WARRIORS RIYADH) – RAJESH AND SHAFI

YAQOOB FIGHTERS – SHAHID & YAQOOB (YAQOOB CC) – SAMEER KARNAD AND MOHSIN

GROUND STAR PHOENIX – RIZWAN & SIDDIK – AYAZ & SALEEM SHIRUR

PARAMOUNT HEROES – NASIR GM – SARFARAZ AK & MUSTAFA HASAN

AL-AMAL AFRAH PANTHERS – SHAHIM & AHNAF – DAWOOD KODI & ANIS

NAJD CHALLENGERS – AFROZ NAKWA – SHADAB KARNAD & SULTHAN

Each Team gets to pick 2 icon players of their choice on a mutual understanding whereas the remaining 13 players for each squad to be picked randomly based on their rankings and ratings in bidding style from 3 categories – A, B & C. The Franchise Ownership amount stands at Sr 2,000 for Each Team. The Winner of the Tournament gets a Cash Reward of Sr 5,000. The Runner Up Gets a Cash Reward of 3,000. Many Attractive Individual prizes will be handed over at the end of the event such as below

Winners squad 16 players - Gifts

Highest Run Getter – Orange Cap – Special Gift

Highest Wicket Taker – Purple Cap – Special Gift

Player of the Series – Special Gift

Hat-trick Wicket taker – Special Gift

KPL Kamal Catch – Special Gift

Best Wicket Keeper – Special Gift

Best over in KPL – Special Gift

Fastest 50 in KPL – Special Gift

Fair Play Award – Special Gift

Performer of the Week (Every Week) – Special Gift

Century – Special Gift