India’s two-time World Cup winning cricketer (2007 & 2011) Yuvraj Singh was named Maratha Arabians’ Indian icon player for the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
The event is being staged under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), with official approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Yuvraj played starring roles for India in their title winning squads at the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup. His exploits at the two events made a big splash across the globe including his six sixes in an over in 2007 and the all-round exploits at the 2011 World Cup.
Yuvraj retired from international cricket and all formats in India in June, earlier this year.
Yuvraj is the latest signing by Maratha Arabians after they recently named former Zimbabwe captain and former England head coach Andy Flower as the new Maratha Arabians Head Coach.
“It is an exciting new format to be part of. I am looking forward to joining forces with some of the world’s biggest names in this league and representing team Maratha Arabians.”Yuvraj Singh
“It is going to be a thrilling time for the game of cricket. Its heartwarming to see leagues like T10 putting in so much hard work and offering such exciting format for sports enthusiasts,” he added.
Maratha Arabians is co-owned by Parvez Khan of Pacific Ventures, Bollywood Actor cum producer cum director Sohail Khan and Ali Tumbi of Aqua Properties.
Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo will continue to lead the franchise like in the previous edition. The franchise also named their other retention for the season, including Sri Lankan T20I captain Lasith Malinga, apart from the Afghanistan duo of Hazratullah Zazai and Najeebullah Zadran.
Australia’s power-hitting batsman Chris Lynn was also named the icon player of the franchisee.
Maratha Arabians Co-owner Sohail Khan said: “It is terrific to have a world-class player like Yuvi in our squad. We have all seen his exploits for India in various formats. He is a champion cricketer and has been one of the greats in the white ball formats. It is a huge honour to have him in our squad.”
“Cricket has evolved with time, and now comes the Abu Dhabi T10 to entertain us all, a burst of cricketing talent to explode in 90 minutes. I compare it to the 100 metres sprint which requires years of practice and dedication but is over in 10 seconds.”Sohail Khan, Maratha Arabians Co-owner
Maratha Arabians Co-owner Parvez Khan said: “Yuvraj is a world beater. We all know what he has achieved both on and off the field. His deeds speak for his brilliance. I wholeheartedly welcome Yuvraj to the Maratha Arabians family.”
Maratha Arabians Co-owner Ali Tumbi said: “We have assembled a world-class squad. Yuvraj joining the squad is like an icing on the cake. I am very certain that we are in the running for the title this year.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)