Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Ricardo Powell, Phil Simmons and Vasbert Drakes look to add Caribbean flavour to the inaugural UAE T20x franchise league

Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Sunday, 14 October 2018:   UAE T20x announced the names of some legendary Caribbean coaches who will be a part of UAE’s first ever international cricket league. The five franchises will be eyeing these iconic personalities and will seek to pick these superstars in the draft, which is scheduled to take place in November. The star-studded coach and mentor pool, now consists of close to 180 accomplished career coaches and former cricketers from 16 nations. 

Caribbean fans will be thrilled to see cricketing heroes such as Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara who will serve as mentors to budding talent in the upcoming UAE T20x – taking place from 19 December to 11 January in Dubai and Sharjah. These two notable names are complemented by those of Courtney Walsh, Ricardo Powell, Phil Simmons and Vasbert Drakes who have signed up as coaches. Indeed, these are names that are greatly admired across the West-Indies. 

Caribbean icon and internationally revered cricketing figure, Brian Lara said: “It is extremely heart-warming to see so many experienced coaches vying to be a part of the league, with an incredible representation from the West Indies. 

We have some highly respected, celebrated figures all looking to share their experience with up and coming international talent. This certainly demonstrates the attractiveness of the league as they continue to rope in some of the biggest names in the sport.”

In addition, West-Indian T20 specialist, Andre Russell has been announced as an icon player of the league alongside David Miller, Eoin Morgan, Shahid Afridi, Kumar Sangakkara and global ambassador AB de Villiers.  

UAE T20x will make its debut this December with five new franchise teams vying for the inaugural title in a 22-match format to be played over 24 days. The five franchises will comprise a squad of 16 featuring six international star players, four emerging and junior players, three ICC Associate Member players, and three UAE national team players. No other T20 competition has been established with these developmental goals at their core, and no other event will showcase such a wide array of international talent.

The organisers of the new competition, OPi Sports, are aiming for the T20 league to be the most progressive and inclusive in the world. Hosted in one of the most desirable global destinations, the UAE T20x reflects the UAE's desire to push the realms of possibility, using its unique location as a hub for world-class sport to become a new centre of the cricketing world and to foster the development of the game.