Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 30 (ANI): UAE cricketers will learn from some of the biggest names in the game at the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10, which runs from 7 to 20 November.
Muhammad Waseem will share a dressing room with Nicholas Pooran. Alishan Sharafu will play under Moeen Ali. And Muhammad Rohid will bowl with Kieron Pollard setting his field, while Dwayne Bravo, one of T20 cricket’s most successful bowlers, works with him as UAE Bulls’ bowling coach and mentor, as per a press release.
Several UAE players were picked across the six franchises at the draft on 30 September, and the rules guarantee them time in the middle. Every playing XI must include at least two UAE players.
Royal Desert Champions have Waseem, Aayan Afzal Khan and Dhruv Parashar. Sharafu and Vriitya Aravind are at Arabian Aces, and Rohid and Wali Muhammad are at UAE Bulls. Emirates Eagles picked Haider Razzaq, Luqman Faisal and Harshit Kaushik; United Tigers chose Awais Ali Shah and Adithya Shetty; and Yas Lions have Ansh Tandon and Haider Ali.
Several of them have already established their impact at this level. Waseem, the UAE stalwart, scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 196 for Quetta Qavalry last season, with a best of 50 not out. Back in 2021, he made 56 not out off 13 balls for Northern Warriors, a half-century that equalled the T10 record for the fastest fifty at the time. He also holds a record US$210,000 contract in the DP World ILT20. Spinner Haider Ali played alongside former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla at Ajman Titans last season.
Sharafu has seen what this exposure can do. Five years from his debut in the competition, he is an established UAE international, and after playing alongside Moeen at Ajman Titans last season, he joins him again at Arabian Aces.
The opportunity reaches beyond the UAE. Netherlands spinner Aryan Dutt was picked by Yas Lions as their Associate Member selection, and Scotland’s Bradley Currie is at UAE Bulls. USA batter Andries Gous was one of Yas Lions' three pre-draft signings after scoring 175 runs at a strike rate of 168.3 for Quetta Qavalry last season.
The coaching benches carry plenty of experience too. Andy Flower is head coach of UAE Bulls, Lance Klusener of Arabian Aces and Mickey Arthur of Emirates Eagles. Royal Desert Champions have Robin Singh as team director, and he knows the local game well from his time as the UAE’s director of cricket. At Arabian Aces, the younger players will train and play every day alongside Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Liam Livingstone.
The first test comes on 7 November, when UAE Bulls and Yas Lions open the tournament at Zayed Cricket Stadium. The final is on 20 November. (ANI)
UAE cricketers get a front-row seat with biggest names at Abu Dhabi T10
