Sharjah to stage richest ever gully cricket international tournament

A high profile gully cricket (street cricket) like never before is set to enthrall the cricket aficionados in the UAE.

Petromann, a UAE-based oil and gas company, will host one of the richest ever street cricket competitions to be held at international level offering a total prize money of Dh250,000.

Titled as the Ten Premier League (10PL), the tournament will be held from November 29 to December 2 under the auspices of the Sharjah Cricket Council under lights at the Sharjah International Stadium.

To spice up the excitement will be former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag, known for his swashbuckling batting.

The Indian star will be the brand ambassador giving the spectators an amazing opportunity to catch the super star up and close.

A total of 20 teams that also includes 12 international teams will be taking part.

Over 500 cricketers will be action in the 47 matches that will be played over four days.

The confirmed participating teams so far include Pacific Ventures (Dubai), Kuwait Raiders (Kuwait), Hannan (Qatar), Alliance (Qatar), Friday Chargers (Abu Dhabi), SKC Goa (India), Albert Developers (India), Kolkata Angles (India), Eleven Warriors (Dubai) and Al Falah (Saudi).

The tournament is the brain child of Arif Khan, Executive Director of Petromann who has understood the nuances of the gully cricket having played the game himself in the 1990’s in Mumbai.

It was his dream to bring this format to the UAE after having learnt the huge demand.

Petromann tied up with Pacific Ventures for promoting indoor cricket and promoting tennis ball game.

Arif Khan said: “This format is very popular in India and Middle East. So we thought we need to bring it to the people of the UAE in a real big way.

“There has never been an event of this magnitude held anywhere in the world with such a huge prize money on offer. We will have top players representing in this tournament and I’m confident the response will be amazing.

“Gully cricket is also played extensively in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar and now we want to put UAE in the same cadre. We are delighted to have Virender Sehwag as the Brand Ambassador and he will be doing the honours of giving away the prizes after the final,” he added.

“Another exciting part of the tournament will be the live streaming of every match on our website. This will ensure that people sitting anywhere in the world can watch the action live,” he said.

There also will be unlimited entertainment for the families and kids with never-ending music played by the DJs and an exclusive kids play area inside the stadium. Admission is free for spectators with free parking. There will also be exhibition counters and food counters allowing people an opportunity to shop and relish tasty food.

A few lucky ones will also have the unique opportunity which allows the spectators and special guests to meet a lot of celebrities during the tournament.

A draw will also allow people to win attractive prices.

Pacific Venture was the winner of Gulf Premier League and Udupi Premier League held in Dubai and India earlier this year.

Registration is open to all corporates and individual teams. To register email register@10pl.net or log on to www.10pl.net for more information.

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