The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially sanctioned the second edition of the T10 League to be held from November 23 in Sharjah, the tournament organisers said on Tuesday.

The apex body’s validation comes as a shot in the arm for the league that will have two new teams taking them to a strong eight teams and a ten-day competition, according to a release.

The T10 League is the evolution of cricket, from 50-over games to 10-over games. The ICC, last season, had given the go ahead to the organisers to run the first 10 overs format league in the world. The Eoin Morgan-led Kerala Kings won the inaugural edition last year.

“This sanction from ICC for T10 League gives our partners, stakeholders and more importantly the players a much-needed boost. Having said that, it additionally gives us responsibility to ensure we keep growing year-on-year and make this format globally acceptable,” Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman, T10 League, said in a statement.

The second edition of the tournament will have the player draft in September. Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan (Maratha Arabians), Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi (Pakhtoons) and Shoaib Malik (Punjabi Legends), England’s Eoin Morgan (Kerala Kings), New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum (Rajputs), West Indies’ Sunil Narine (Bengal Tigers) and Darren Sammy (Northern Warriors) and Australia’s Shane Watson (Karachians) have already been roped in as Icon players for their respective franchises.

“The sanction from the ICC will only add further shine to the global appeal of the event. We believe that value creation for the new teams will see a positive growth from year one. From four-day league to a ten-day league with more teams and larger pool of international players is a testament of faith shown by fans and stakeholders,” said Salman Iqbal, President, T10 League.

Like all sportspersons, UAE cricketer Rohan Mustafa dreams of representing his nation at the biggest competition – that is the ICC World Cup. Rohan Mustafa believes his dream is now closer than ever because of the valuable experiences gained through tournaments like The Abu Dhabi T10. The 32-year-old all-rounder, who has been a regular fixture in the UAE national cricket team for more than a decade, thinks playing with the most talented cricketers from across the world in 2020 ADT10 will help the UAE in reaching the cricket World Cup. “When we play with legends (in The Abu Dhabi T10), we learn from them. When we practice with them, we bowl to them, we learn a lot about how to play international cricket,” Rohan Mustafa told The Abu Dhabi T10. “And if we keep getting experiences like these, we can qualify for the World Cup as well,” he reckoned. Rohan Mustafa is the vice-captain of Team Abu Dhabi in 2020 ADT10, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Chris Gayle and Paul Sterling and considers it to be “a great opportunity for everyone.” Having appeared in more than 80 international matches, Rohan Mustafa has played a pivotal role in the development of the UAE from being just a prime cricket venue to a proper cricketing nation since he started representing them back in 2007. “The progress has been great,” he reflected. “We have now started domestic competitions too. We played T20 and even T10 tournaments last year.” The chances of qualifying for the big-ticket event are higher because of the young, energetic squad that is shaping up through the improved domestic setup and regular franchise tournaments. “We have many youngsters coming up. Adhitya Shetty is a serious talent, one of the best leg-spinners I have seen of his age. Vriitya Aravind is also a very talented batsman and Alishan Sharafu too. We were never so good at their age.” Born in Kohat, the ambidextrous Mustafa, who bats with his left hand and bowls with his right, remains confident of the preparations for making the first appearance at the ICC World Cup, which takes place in two years. “There has been great development and it’s going to be better in the coming years… I can say that we will be ready for the qualifying round of the 2023 World Cup,” he concluded optimistically. The UAE cricket team currently competes in the second division of the ICC Cricket World League along with six other teams for a spot in the 2023 World Cup.