Cricket’s shortest format returns to the UAE this week and fans will get to enjoy the best of franchise cricket during November and December right at their doorstep.
The 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 begins on Tuesday and will run until the end of the month. A couple of days after that, it will be time for the DP World International League T20.
The schedule for franchise cricket in the UAE this year has been crunched since the T20 World Cup takes place in the subcontinent in February next year.
That means short-form cricket fans are in for a treat in the UAE, beginning with the T10 tournament that has come to define franchise cricket in the Emirates.
Who are the big stars?
Some very big names are participating in the tournament, including and Indian Premier League veterans Harbhajan Singh, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer, Piyush Chawla and Faf du Plessis.
Other franchise cricket superstars will also be in action, including T10 champion Nicholas Pooran, Alex Hales, Marcus Stoinis, and others.
How many teams are participating?
There are eight teams in the tournament this season, compared to 10 last term. Deccan Gladiators are the defending champions while there are a few new teams in the competition.
Aspin Stallions will be making their debut this season. The Stallions are owned by Ahmad Khoori, former senior vice president of Emirates Airlines.
The team will have India’s World Cup champion and IPL star Harbhajan in their ranks. The veteran spinner has returned to competitive cricket at the age of 45.
Format
The tournament follows a round-robin format, where each team faces each team during the league stage. After the completion of group matches, the top four teams in the points table will advance to the play-offs.
There, teams will face off in qualifiers and an eliminator, culminating in the title match.
Dates and where to watch
The tournament starts on Tuesday and the final will take place on November 30. The opening clash will be between new team Quetta Qavalry and Northern Warriors, followed by a clash between defending champions Deccan Gladiators and Delhi Bulls.
Matches take place from 3pm, 5.45pm and 8pm UAE time. The Abu Dhabi T10 will be shown live on the Fancode app. The games will be held the Zayed Cricket Stadium.
What they said
T10 chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said he hopes to deliver another season of quality entertainment.
"The teams are gearing up for a thrilling edition of the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10. Cricket’s fastest format continues to grow each year, and it’s always been our mission to deliver the most entertaining version of the game to fans around the world," he said.
"This journey wouldn’t be possible without the support of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board. Along with the Department of Culture & Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub."
Squads
Ajman Titans: Moeen Ali, Rilee Rossouw, Piyush Chawla, Will Smeed, Jason Behandroff, Alex Hales, Dan Lawrence, Asif Ali, Chris Green, Akif Javed, Zaman Khan, Aneurin Donald, Alishan Sharafu, Haider Ali, Wasim Akram, Luc Benkenstein, Tom Aspinwall, Joe Clarke, Asif Khan
Aspin Stallions: Sam Billings, Tymal Mills, Harbhajan Singh, Andre Fletcher, Avishka Fernando, Sherfane Rutherford, Binura Fernando, Saif Hassan, Ryan Burl, Akhilesh Bodugum, Ali Khan, Ben Cutting, Zohair Iqbal, Essam Muti Ur Rab, Hafeez ur Rehman, Ashmead Nedd, Matthew Hurst, Monank Patel, Harshit Seth
Deccan Gladiators: Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Richard Gleeson, Usman Tariq, David Wiese, Lahiru Kumara, Jordan Thompson, Dilpreet Singh Bajwa, Jake Ball, Ibrar Ahmed, Muhammad Jawadullah, Ajay Kumar, Ali Raza, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Laurie Evans, Mark Chapman
Delhi Bulls: Rovman Powell, Phil Salt, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarubani, Salman Irshad, James Vince, Tom Moores, Qais Ahmed, Mir Hamza, James Coles, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Farhan Khan, Brian Bennett, Arab Gul, Romario Shepherd, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Northern Warriors: Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Thisara Perera, Johnson Charles, Colin Munro, Azmatullah Omarzai, Tabrzi Shamsi, Odean Smith, Shahnawaz Dahani, Dinesh Chandimal, Hazratullah Zazai, Asitha Fernando, Sagar Kalyan, Yakin Kiran Rai, Shahid Iqbal Bhutta, Bilal Sami, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kadeem Alleyne
Quetta Qavalry: Liam Livingstone, Jason Holder, Mohammad Amir, Sikandar Raza, Andries Gous, Evin Lewis, Imran Tahir, Fabian Allen, Abbas Afridi, Irfan Khan Niazi, George Scrimshaw, Khawaja Nafay, Muhammad Waseem, Abdul Ghaffa, Khuzaima Bin Tanvir, Arafat Minhas, Umar Lohya, Gudakesh Motie, Ali Nasser
Royal Champs: Jason Roy, Angelo Mathews, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Jordan, Daniel Sams, Mohammad Shehzad, Niroshan Dickwella, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Dawson, Brandon McMullen, Isuru Udana, Quentin Sampson, Rahul Chopra, Haider Razzaq, Zahid Ali, Kelvin Pitman, Vishen Halambage, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Aaron Jones
Vista Riders: Faf du Plessis, Matthew Wade, S Sreesanth, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Andrew Tye, Unmukt Chand, Ben McDermott, Dilshan Madhushanka, Nahid Rana, Angelo Perera, Sean Dickson, Harshit Kaushik, Ansh Tandon, CP Rizwan, Izharullahaq Naveed, Ackeem Auguste, Murali Vijay, Sharafuddin Ashraf
