Yuvraj Singh to mentor New York Strikers in Abu Dhabi T10 League

Yuvraj Singh was the part of Abu Dhabi T10 league in 2019 | PC: Twitter

USA's Skky Strikers, on Monday (September 19) announced that they have acquired a franchise, named New York Strikers in the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi T10 league.  

The Strikers are looking to extend their cricket-related operations in other parts of the world by getting their hands on franchises in well-established leagues such as the Abu Dhabi T10. 

Furthermore, the addition of the New York Strikers to the Abu Dhabi T10 League makes it an eight-team competition, with two teams joining the campaign from the United States.  

In another set of developments, the Strikers have also roped in the veteran India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh as the team mentor. The left-hander was previously a part of the Maratha Arabians in the Abu Dhabi T10 league in 2019. 

Sagar Khanna, the co-founder of Skky Strikers, who is currently the sole owner of the franchise, has expressed his delight in acquiring a team in the United Arab Emirates' launched T10 league. 

"It is an extremely exciting time for our franchise as the Abu Dhabi T10 is unique and highly competitive, bringing together elite players from across the globe. It gives us the perfect opportunity to compete against the elites of cricket and test ourselves out." 

“We have had some amount of success in the USA and we are keen to carry on in that vein over here also. As a franchise, we will do whatever it takes to ensure this is a memorable tournament for our fans and the family overall." 

A look at the signings of the New York Strikers

The New York-based franchise have also signed the Caribbean legend Kieron Pollard as their Icon player and England's 2019 ODI World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan as their Platinum player. 

Pakistan's Azam Khan and Ireland’s Paul Stirling, on the other hand, have been roped in the Category A players by the franchise. Speaking on the signings, Sagar said:

“Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan are among the biggest names in white-ball cricket. Both are extremely dangerous players and we have no doubt that their leadership qualities will be extremely essential for our camp going forward. Both Pollard and Morgan strike fear in the opposition team’s minds, and we like that thought."

“Paul Stirling and Azam Khan too are a couple of very destructive batters, who can turn a game on its head very rapidly. The four players represent a strong and hardworking core, which is very much along the lines of our philosophy."

The sixth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 is set to commence on November 23 and will run until December 4 with all the matches of the tournament scheduled to be played at Zayed Cricket Stadium.  

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