Abu Dhabi T10 League 2019 | List of all eight icon players
The Abu Dhabi T10 league, scheduled to start from November 15, will see eight icon players take center-stage along-with one Indian icon player in Yuvraj Singh. Three new sides- Qalanders, Team Abu Dhabi and Bangla Tigers will add to the existing five teams with Shahid Afridi, Moeen Ali, and Thisara Perera being picked up as the icon players respectively.
Northern Warriors, Karnataka Tuskers, Team Abu Dhabi, Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers, Deccan Gladiators, Qalandars and Delhi Bulls will form the eight teams playing in the third edition of the T10 league.
Here's a list of eight icon players representing the eight teams.
Also see - England vs New Zealand schedule 2019
#1 Darren Sammy- Northern Warriors
Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy will take the field as an icon player for defending champions Northern Warriors under head coach Robin Singh. Sammy will be assisted by fellow West Indian Lendl Simmons and swash-buckling all-rounder Andre Russell.
Under Sammy’s captaincy, Northern Warriors beat Pakhtoons by 22 runs in last year’s final to win the second edition of the league. Considered a utility player in all forms of the game, Sammy has the ability to tonk the ball with great power and also take crucial wickets to limit the run-scoring options for the opposition. In 304 T20s, Sammy has scored an impressive 3832 runs, taking 158 wickets in the process.
#2 Hashim Amla- Karnataka Tuskers
The Rajputs, who have rebranded themselves as Karnataka Tuskers, will see a new coach in Australian Tom Moody and captain as well as icon player Hashim Amla. Rajputs were coached by former South Africa international Herschelle Gibbs, with Brendon McCullum as their icon player and captain last season. Talented spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, Aghan player Shapoor Zadran, and West Indian Evin Lewis will be some of the prominent stars featuring in Amla’s line-up. In 154 T20s in his career, Hashim Amla has scored 4284 runs at an average of 30.82.
#3 Moeen Ali- Team Abu Dhabi
Moeen Ali will lead a newly-formed side, Team Abu Dhabi, in this year’s T10 league. Trevor Bayliss will coach a dangerous-looking squad which will include the likes of Mohammad Amir, Harry Gurney, and Hayden Walsh Jr. In 146 T20s, World Cup Winner Ali has scored, 3206 runs and taken 102 wickets in a good display of all-round prowess. Ali provides a unique versatility to the team, as he can bat at any position in the batting order and can even take up bowling duties for his side.
#4 Chris Lynn- Maratha Arabians
Chris Lynn will be the icon player for the tournament favorites Maratha Arabians in this year’s edition of the T10 league. A hard-hitting batsman himself, Lynn will have the support of Sri Lankan T20I captain Lasith Malinga, Indian icon player Yuvraj Singh, tall and lanky pacer Mohammad Irfan at his disposal.
A team full of T20 stars and captained by Dwayne Bravo can unsettle any team on a given day will need their captain and icon player Lynn to hit prime form right from the word go. Lynn has scored 4425 runs in 162 T20s at a phenomenal strike-rate of 141.96.
#5 Thisara Perera- Bangla Tigers
The new side, Bangla Tigers, will be lead by the all-round abilities of Thisara Perera. Perera will look forward to the hitting abilities of Colin de Grandhomme and South African Rilee Rossouw to propel them intheir maiden season in the T10 league.
Perera will lead a side filled with players with all-round abilities ( World Cup winner Liam Plunkett and Australian James Faulkner). In 264 T20s for Perera, he has scored 3210 runs and claimed 227 wickets at an impressive bowling average of 26.33. Bangla Tigers will play their inaugural match on 16 November against Deccan Gladiators.
#6 Shane Watson- Deccan Gladiators
Newly appointed Australian Cricketers’ Association president, Shane Watson will lead Deccan Gladiators (earlier Sindhis) under new coach Mushtaq Ahmed. Sindhis finished last in Group A and had only two points (least number of points) that included only one win in six matches. After the disappointing show last year, Sindhis will expect a change of fortunes with Watson relying heavily on players like Ben Cutting, Sheldon Cottrell, and Kieroa n Pollard. In 316 T20s, Watson has scored 8182 runs and taken 216 wickets and will look to continue his sublime run-of-form in the newest and shortest form of the game.
#7 Shahid Afridi- Qalandars
Apart from Chris Lynn, Shahid Afridi will be the only icon player not to captain the side. Sohail Akhtar of Pakistan will captain Qalandars with Afridi being the icon player. Luke Ronchi, Chris Jordan, Tom Banton, Mohammad Hafeez, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, and Imran Khan are some of the T20 specialists which can take the tournament by storm along-with Boom-Boom Afridi. Afridi was the icon player and captain of Pakhtoons which was coached by former Australian player Dean Jones in 2018. In 303 T20s, Shahid Afridi has 333 wickets to his name, apart from 4175 runs at a strike-rate of 154.00.
#8 Eoin Morgan- Delhi Bulls
World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan will be one of the players to watch-out for in the third edition of this league. Morgan, who was the icon player-cum-captain of Kerala Kings under coach Daniel Vettori will represent Delhi Bulls, rebranded from Bengal Tigers this year. With Stephen Fleming at the helm, Morgan will have a good balance of youth and explosive stroke-play in his armory. Zaheer Khan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nabi, and Sohail Tanvir are some of the star performers who will give an edge to Morgan’s Delhi Bulls. In 282 matches, Morgan has scored an astonishing 6185 runs at a strike-rate of 131.37.