Very hopeful that teams are going to sign Indian players in T10 League, says Matt Boucher

From timeless Tests to 60-over matches to coloured clothing to T20s, the evolution of the game of cricket has been nothing but fascinating. The general trend, at least for the casual audience, has always been "shorter the format, more the fun" and now with the introduction of the T10 format, the fun element of the game has all but doubled. 

The 2018 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 league was a revelation with several players - most notably Nicholas Pooran from West Indies - etching their name in the game and hence the hype and buzz around the 2019 edition of the T10 carnival understandably seems to be crazier than ever. But for Indian fans, it could just get better as after Zaheer Khan confirming his participation in the tournament, Matt Boucher, CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket is now hopeful of seeing teams rope up more Indian players for the forthcoming season.

“The eight teams that are involved, select their players — the icons, the catchment players who go into a draw — and there’s an auction on October 15. I am personally very hopeful that the teams are targeting some Indian players. It’s brilliant for the game, it’s brilliant for Abu Dhabi and the fans in general,” Boucher told Sportstar.

The first two editions of the tournament were held in Sharjah but this time around, the carnival will take place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Boucher expressed his delight over the amenities that come along with the venue and also said that he is actively working to add more fun elements to the arena to make it an unforgettable experience for the fans and the viewers.

“Sharjah is a downtown venue with limited space, whereas the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi has a million square kilometre space. So we obviously have a lot of space to play with,” Boucher said.

“Moving forward, we will develop some extra-curricular activities for families of spectators where they can come over, watch some cricket, go to the fan park, see some apparel stores. It will be a much more diverse product in Abu Dhabi,” he concluded.