Abu Dhabi T10 League to start from January 28; Karnataka Tuskers rebranded as Pune Devils

The only ICC-sanctioned T10 cricket league in the world will return with its fourth edition in January 2021. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium will host the next season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

The eight-team competition will take place from January 28th to February 6th in Abu Dhabi next year. The Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday that the Karnataka Tuskers owners have rebranded their franchise as the Pune Devils.

The Maratha Arabians are the defending champions of the Abu Dhabi T10 League. The co-owner Parvez Khan of the team is confident that they will successfully defend the title this year.

"Our team is committed to defending the Abu Dhabi T10 title. We have a fantastic team, and I am certain everyone will give their best to bring the trophy home again," said Parvez Khan.

Franchises announce player retentions ahead of the fourth season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League

🥁🎶 Champion, Champion 🎶🥁#AbuDhabiT10 winner @DJBravo47 has been signed by @DelhiBullsT10 as their Icon Player! 🔥Can he make it back-to-back titles and win @DelhiBullsT10 the trophy in Season 2️⃣? 🤔#AbuDhabi #AbuDhabiCricket #InAbuDhabi #T10cricket #DelhiBulls pic.twitter.com/aXsPlhqkSC

— T10 League (@T10League) December 15, 2020

The Abu Dhabi T10 League's fourth edition is just a month away, and a few franchises have announced the players they have retained for the upcoming season. The Delhi Bulls retained Mohammad Nabi, Dushmantha Chameera, Sherfane Rutherford, and Ali Khan, while also signing DJ Bravo from the Maratha Arabians.

The Qalandars kept hold of Samit Patel, Phil Salt, Chris Jordan, and Sultan Ahmed. Meanwhile, the Bangla Tigers squad includes Johnson Charles, Isuru Udana, David Wiese, Chirag Suri, Tom Moores, Qais Ahmad, and Andre Fletcher.

🐯 Bangla Tigers have signed and retained 7 players .🙌 Stay tuned for watching 🐅 @IAmIsuru17 🐅 Andrew Fletcher 🐅 @TomMoores23 🐅 @imqaisahmadd 🐅 Chirag Suri🐅 Johnson Charles 🐅 @David_Wiese In action with Bangla Tigers #Bangla_Tigers #T10 #LetsGoHunt pic.twitter.com/MnlGgaSvwI

— Bangla Tigers (@BanglaTigersT10) December 13, 2020

Veteran Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik has joined the Maratha Arabians, and South Africa's T20 specialist Colin Ingram is a part of the Deccan Gladiators squad.

It is pertinent to note that former Indian cricket team stars Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh also played in the T10 league last year. There has been no official update about whether the two legends will be in action in the UAE next month.