T Ten Global Sports have unveiled the first-ever edition of the Indian Masters T10, which is to be played from June 14 – 28, 2023.
The inaugural edition of the competition will consist of 19 fixtures sprawled across 12 game days, with six franchisees with each team co-owned by an A-list Bollywood personality along with a major corporate house.
Some of the well-known and skilful retired international cricketers will be pitted against each other in this 10-over match competition. Each fixture will last for only 90 minutes, which will be filled with enthralling action and pace throughout. The six team-tournament entailing retired cricketers with a squad of 15 players minimum will take on each other in India.
The upcoming inaugural season of the competition is expected to be graced by the likes of Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Mohammed Kaif, Suresh Raina, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Jacque Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Chris Gayle, and Brett Lee.
Speaking on the momentous occasion Mohammed Kaif and Robin Uthappa, who were present at the press conference in St. Regis spoke, about the Indian Masters T10 with immense delight.
Mohammed Kaif, said, “I have commentated on the Abu Dhabi T10, and always wanted to play in it because it’s such an exciting format, finally I have got the chance and I cannot wait to step out on the pitch for it. Since it’s such a fast-paced format it becomes a game of skill and power, not fitness which is especially suited to former cricketers like us. The approach of each player is also to go all-guns blazing from the first ball itself, so expect a lot of sixes, wickets and stunning catches throughout the tournament, which will get fans off their seats.”
Robin Uthappa, said, “I think when legends of the game come together and play it brings back a lot of memories and makes you nostalgic, which I really enjoy and it’s always nice for me. To be able to be a part of this Indian Masters T10 League, I think is actually a pleasure and the fact, that I get to play with a lot of my Teammates through my career to actually interact with them again and go back into that mindset of competing together would be absolutely the best. I am very excited as well for the Indian Masters T10, I honestly cannot wait.”
During the announcement press conference in Mumbai, India at St. Regis Hotel in Lower Parel, Shaji-Ul- Mulk, Chairman, T10 Sports Management, said, “We are thrilled to bring to India the T10 brand of cricket engaging the legendary masters of the game. The fast pace nature of the 10 overs per innings format coupled with the skill of the masters and cheered by the celebrities is bound to improve fan engagement and provide non-stop entertainment.”
Mr Rajeev Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, of T10 Sports Management, added to the same as he said, “This is the fastest format of cricket. The games are only 90 minutes long. There is no other game in The Olympics except golf, which lasts more than 90 minutes. So that’s the reason this detailed format is the best for the Olympics of the future. It also is also helping associate nations build their grass-roots in terms of cricket especially since it’s packaged in such an entertaining and quick format, it is helping them understand the rules of the game better, which will eventually result in Cricket becoming a truly global sport.”
In the press conference, SportsMint Media asked Mr Khanna, “Will the Indian Masters T10 be popular among the brands and advertisers just like the Abu Dhabi T10?”, to which he answered,
“If you look at Abu Dhabi T10, some of the biggest brands in the world are part of it, whether it is Emirates, whether it is Etihad airlines or so. So we expect that there would be a huge interest we’re seeing huge interest among corporates and friends who want to be somewhere or the other be a part of the T10 league, whether there is a sponsor, whether the team ownership. So, I truly hope that they would be a lot of interest in the league in days to come.“
Abu Dhabi T10 is the only ten-over cricket tournament across the globe which is officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).