Ajman Cricket Council launches tournament to harness regional talent

Ajman [UAE], March 9 : The Ajman T20 Cup, which presents a major opportunity for local cricketers to showcase their talent is all set to occur in full swing.
Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman and conceptualized by the founder of Abu Dhabi T10, Shaji Ul Mulk, and the Ajman Cricket Council, the initiative has been launched to recruit emerging talent and amplify the cricketing ecosystem in the UAE.
The matches will be held in Ajman's Malik Cricket Stadium from March 13-22, where players' performance will be closely monitored and assessed.
Those who qualify will be presented to the Player Management Council for assessment giving the best players a chance to advance their cricketing careers and compete with national-level seniors.
"The UAE has seen tremendous growth in the cricket community; the Ajman Cricket Council is working proactively to nurture the region's raw talent and fortify them for the international stage. We wish to create an infrastructure where players can healthily challenge themselves, reach their full potential, and leverage Abu Dhabi T10's extensive platform," said Mulk in a statement.
Parvez Khan, Ajman Cricket Council Director added, "This tournament is designed to facilitate healthy competition and help scout UAE-based talent and dedicated cricketers of all nationalities."
As a former domestic player himself, Adnan Ul Mulk lauded tournaments like this for being a springboard for UAE talent and said he looked forward to seeing the players shine on this stage.
Mulk added that plans are also afoot to resurrect a UAE-South Asian tournament where players from the domestic leagues will get the opportunity to play with international talent from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh And Sri Lanka.
Legendary Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin was present at the press conference where the Ajman Cup details were announced, and expressed his excitement at the striking developments witnessed in the UAE domestic circuit, reiterating Mulk's views.
"This is the first domestic tournament with an international format and therefore, extremely likely to have an impact. From the formal draft to choose players to live streaming matches across the world, the Ajman T20 Cup has the potential to put Ajman on the cricketing map," he said.
A draft to choose players for the following teams was also held today -- Deccan Gladiators, Northern Warriors, Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers, Delhi Bulls, and Ajman Heroes, the latter being a council managed team.
Sheraz Ahmed, Usman Khan, Umair Ali Khan, Sultan Ahmed and Adeel Malik, Shoaib's younger brother, are just some of the dynamic local cricketing talents who will be competing for glory.

To ensure the widest exposure and give the nascent talent an exciting edge, for the first time the matches will be live-streamed on FanCode in India (100 million reach), Crictracker (10 million reach), and Willow TV for massive reach in the USA and Canada.
Additionally, the 6th season of Abu Dhabi T10 in the same format and under the same rules is under works, and will be organized by Shaji Ul Mulk later this year.