Inaugural UAE T20 league cancelled

The UAE T20x cricket league scheduled for later this year has been cancelled after three of the five franchises failed to be sold.

The inaugural Twenty20 tournament was set to overlap with the start of BBL|08 and run between December 19 and January 11 and had already attracted a host of international players to take part.

AB de Villiers was named as the ambassador for the tournament, suspended Australian duo Steve Smith and David Warner had been contacted about participating, while international stars David Miller, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi and Kumar Sangakkara were also set to feature.

But only two of the five franchises attracted bids in time and tournament organisers have decided to pull the pin on this year's event.

"Following talks between the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and event promoter OPi, it has been mutually agreed that the planned UAE T20x franchise cricket league will not take place in the UAE this coming December / January," a statement from the Emirates Cricket Board read.

"The decision follows the conclusion of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) process for tournament franchises. Both the ECB and OPi had been hopeful of achieving the sale of five franchise teams for the first year of the tournament, and whilst negotiations had been completed on two franchise teams and a further three were well advanced, it was felt that there was no longer sufficient time to close the sales process and to successfully deliver and promote a December event.

"OPi, a privately-owned sports promoter, and the ECB had been working together since 2017 to develop the new franchise league, and had attracted interest and support from many of the world’s leading players and coaches. The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July to explore potential limitations on T20 cricket leagues and player participation in them, meant that investment into UAE T20x had to be curtailed throughout the summer in anticipation of a decision. This in turn impacted timings around commercial conversations with potential franchise buyers."

The majority of Big Bash clubs have already finalised their overseas quotas for the upcoming season, although the rules regarding replacement players may open the door for a host of players that were scheduled to play in the UAE to take part in BBL|08 at some stage.

Big Bash clubs can feature two international players, however they now have the flexibility to apply for a replacement player for reasons extending beyond injury or international duties.