The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has turned into a Superdome of Cricket of late. It started with the Indian Premier League followed by the T20 World Cup and now it is time for the Abu Dhabi T10 league.
The 2021 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 league is the fourth edition and it is growing bigger and better with every passing year. The league which started primarily with the former international players, currently features many global T20 stars of the past as well as modern times. To make things interesting even the Indian players have started to feature in this 8 team T10 extravaganza, which is a rarity as BCCI does not allow its players to participate in other global franchise leagues.
In the ongoing 2021 edition as many as 5 Indian players feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 league. Although all these 5 players have retired from International cricket, they can still set the stage on fire.
1) Yusuf Pathan:
The Senior Pathan has been one of the most destructive strikers of the cricket ball in his playing days. His T20 credentials too are impressive with over 4500 runs and 99 wickets across all formats. On top of it, Yusuf Pathan has a T20 World Cup and 3 IPL trophies under his belt. Having retired from International cricket in February 2021, Yusuf Pathan was last seen in action in the Road Safety World Series where India Legends was crowned as the Champions. Pathan will make his T10 debut in the Abu Dhabi T10 league for the Chennai Braves Team.
2) Munaf Patel:
Munaf Patel, the former quick Indian pacer will be joining Yusuf Pathan in his T10 journey. Munaf Patel will also be donning the Chennai Braves jersey like his compatriot. But unlike Pathan, Munaf Patel is not new to this format as he has already played for the Rajputs in the T10 League. He was last seen in action in the Road Safety World Series.
3) Yo Mahesh:
Former Indian All-rounder Yo Mahesh who retired from all forms of cricket in December 2020 will also be featuring in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. The 33 year all-rounder has age in his side and will be playing for the defending champions Northern Warriors. Yo Mahesh last played T20 cricket in the Tamil Nadu Premier League in 2019.
4) Abhimanyu Mithun:
The former Indian fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun joins Yo Mahesh in his T20 journey. Mithun who playeed 4 tests for India retired from all forms of cricket in October 2021 at a ripe age of 31. If reports are to be believed, Mithun has shifted his base to England and the Abu Dhabi T10 league might be the ideal launch pad for him. He too will play for Northern Warriors under the leadership of Rovman Powell.
5) Kaunain Abbas:
The last entry in our list is former Karnataka all-rounder Kaunain Abbas. The 31 year old made his debut in 2016 and played for Karnataka and was an active player till 2018. Abbas played for the Belagavi Panthers in the Karnataka Premier League. Abbas too will play for the Northern Warriors in Abu Dhabi T10 League.
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