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Franchise cricket has become more significant than ever now. Every other country is proposing their own T20 domestic tournament, seeking to cash in from the market, which has developed due to the growing popularity of cricket globally. The UAE T20 League is new to join the list as it's reportedly scheduled to kick-start from next year i.e. 2023.
Three IPL franchises, namely Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals, have already acquired rights to own and operate teams in the competition. In the latest development, Cricbuzz has reported that Emirates Cricket Board has extended an option to three IPL franchises to sign a maximum of four players from their IPL teams. Reportedly, IPL franchises will have the liberty to sign their four players outside of the official draft and auction, which would occur in the scheduled time.
While speaking to Cricbuzz, Emirates Cricket Board's (ECB) Secretary-General Mubashir Usmani informed that it could be any player who has received NOC from his home board. "Each franchise will be allowed to sign four players outside of the draft or auction, which we will decide later. It could be any player who has a NOC from his home board," he was quoted in the report.
In the six-team tournament, other owners are Adani Group, the Glazer family, and Capri Global; all three are the debutant investors in the cricket league. Reportedly, all teams will be allowed a player fee of USD 2 million, the purse being second-best amongst the franchises based leagues after IPL.
However, there is no confirmation yet if the players will be selected via auction or draft process. But, reports are indicating that ECB organisers are more inclined to the draft process to avoid any comparison from India's T20 domestic tournament. The inaugural edition of the UAE T20 League is reportedly slated to take place from early January to the middle of February of 2023.