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Hyderabad, Jan 19 (IANS) India wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan was slammed when he appeared to get the umpires into believing New Zealand captain Tom Latham had been out hit wicket during the first ODI at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The incident happened on the fourth ball of the 16th over when Latham, playing his first ball of the match, went deep in his crease and tapped off left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav through the leg side.

Kishan suddenly went up in appeal and was joined in the same by captain Rohit Sharma. The square-leg umpire instantly took the decision upstairs, mainly unclear as to what exactly had happened.

Kishan and the Indian team appealed for Latham's dismissal, indicating that the batter had disturbed the bails by stepping on his stumps. But replays checked by TV umpire K. Ananthapadmanabhan showed Kishan had deliberately knocked a bail off with his glove - at his second attempt - long after Latham had hit the ball.

It took little time for him to declare Latham "Not Out" on the big screen. On-air commentators Sunil Gavaskar and Murali Kartik weren't impressed by Kishan's moves, even as the wicketkeeper-batter continued laughing.

"The cheeky grin is fine, but don't think that was the right thing to do," said Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner. Gavaskar, the legendary India batter, also said in same vein.

"As a joke, it was okay, but then to go on to appeal, don't think that's the right thing to do. As a joke to maybe say, suggest to Tom Latham what had happened earlier when India was batting, that is understandable. But to appeal, that is not on. That is not cricket."

The incident Gavaskar referred to also involving Latham occurred in the 40th over of India's innings, when all-rounder Hardik Pandya was dismissed in freakish circumstances. Hardik tried to cut a Daryl Mitchell delivery through the third man but saw his off-stump bail being dislodged as the ball passed extremely close to the stumps and the on-field umpires referred the call to Ananthapadmanabhan.

Replays showed that Latham was standing up to the stumps and had his gloves very close to the bails, which looked to light up just after the ball had passed over the top of the stumps and was cleanly collected by the keeper.

Viewing a series of replays, the TV umpire tried to check whether Latham's gloves were behind the stumps before he collected the ball, which was the case, so it was a legal delivery. He was eventually satisfied that there was no conclusive evidence that the bail had been dislodged by the wicketkeeper's gloves, which left many dissatisfied as Pandya was dismissed for 38-ball 28.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Jan 19 (IANS) In Indias 12-run victory over New Zealand in the ODI series opener at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, 31,187 fans were treated to 208 from Shubman Gill and 140 from Michael Bracewell.

But India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's freak clean bowled dismissal off Daryl Mitchell also became a huge talking point even after the match was over.

The dismissal occurred in the 40th over of India's innings, when Hardik tried to cut a delivery through the third man but saw his off-stump bail being dislodged as the ball passed extremely close to the stumps and the on-field umpires referred the call to the TV umpire K Ananthapadmanabhan.

Replays showed that wicketkeeper and New Zealand skipper Tom Latham was standing up to the stumps. He also had his gloves very close to the bails, which looked to light up just after the ball had passed over the top of the stumps and was cleanly collected by the keeper.

Viewing a series of replays, the TV umpire tried to check whether Latham's gloves were behind the stumps before he collected the ball, which was the case, so it was a legal delivery. He was eventually satisfied that there was no conclusive evidence that the bail had been dislodged by the wicketkeeper's gloves, which left many dissatisfied.

Now, Shubman Gill, who made a magnificent 208 in India's victory, said he didn't agree with the decision of Hardik being adjudged clean bowled off Mitchell.

"As a non-striker batsman, I didn't think that the ball hit the stumps, even when I was watching the replay. Sometimes there's a blind spot -- you can't really tell like what happened."

"I thought with the bail falling towards the crease, it's a bit weird if the ball is hitting like that and the bail falling towards the crease instead of the other side. These bails are different. It's a heavy bail and the stumps are a bit different. But, at the end of the day, you have to go with the third umpire and respect his decision," he said in the post-match press conference.

During the match, when the dismissal unfolded, former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who was on English commentary duties at that time, wasn't entirely convinced about the decision.

"Oh, it's been given out! Daryl Mitchell should be happy. Should really be happy, because, if you take a look again as to where the keeper's gloves are, where the ball is as it passes the stumps, it looked as if the ball was at least an inch, inch-and-a-half above the stumps."

"Ball clearly looks to be above the bail. You can see as it goes past into the gloves, there's no red light, it's only after that. There you go. From that angle, you can see that the gloves are closer to the bails than the ball."

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer immediately tweeted, "1. Clear gap between ball and bails. 2. Ball is inside gloves, bails (are) not lit yet. 3. Bails lit after brush from gloves. Hardik robbed there."

Hardik had to walk back after making 28 off 38 balls, ending a partnership of 74 for the fifth wicket with Gill, who went on to score his maiden double-century in ODIs through a 149-ball 208 and power India to a massive total of 349/8 in 50 overs.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Jan 19 (IANS) Shubman Gill's brilliant double hundred against New Zealand has ended the debate about who will open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma in One-Day Internationals, said Aakash Chopra as many former India cricketers lavished praise on the opener.

Gill has become the youngest player to score a double century in ODIs in the first match of the three-match series against New Zealand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Wednesday.

The fifth Indian player to get a double century in ODIs, Gill was a dominating force in the hosts' innings. Be it in the first power-play or the death overs, he was smashing boundaries against pacers and spinners in a pristine show of batsmanship.

But more than the double hundred, it was his success as an opener that impressed many as India had been looking for a partner for Rohit Sharma.

Aakash Chopra said Gill's knock in the first ODI has settled the debate about the opening slot in ODIs in a year in which India will be hosting the 50-overs World Cup in October-November.

"He (Gill) has put that debate to rest about who should open. There were some discussions after Ishan Kishan's double century and there were some discussions about Shikhar Dhawan before that. It was even felt at times whether KL Rahul was batting at the right number but it is quite apparent now that Shubman Gill. should open," said Chopra while reviewing this game in a video on his YouTube channel.

Though wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan has also scored a double hundred recently, Chopra feels the Punjab batter is destined to bat at the top of the order.

"He is meant to play ODI cricket right at the top. India has got two double centurions in the last one-and-a-half to two months. Ishan Kishan had struck a double century against Bangladesh and here Shubman Gill has struck it against New Zealand. He has done an amazing job, how well the kid bats," Chopra added.

Besides becoming the fifth Indian to score a double hundred, Gill has also become the fastest Indian to reach 1000 runs in ODIs. He has now scored 1102 runs at an outstanding average of 68.87 and an impressive strike rate of 109.00 in 19 ODIs. He has an even better record as an opener, having smashed 923 runs at an average of 76.91 and a strike rate of 108.84 in 15 innings.

--IANS

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Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka's winning start to the year continued on Thursday, as she defeated dangerous floater Shelby Rogers to reach the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.

Sabalenka registered a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Rogers to reach the third round in Melbourne for the third straight year at Rod Laver Arena. She hit 32 winners, nearly doubling Rogers' 17 in the match that lasted for 1 hour and 27 minutes.

The 24-year-old has started this year 6-0, having won the Adelaide International 1 title earlier this month. It is the second time in the last three years that Sabalenka has won her first six matches of the season, having also done so in 2021.

Sabalenka had saved nearly 80 per cent of break points she had faced during her hot start to the year, but Rogers was still able to draw first blood, taking a 3-1 lead in an opening set filled with lengthy games. But, Sabalenka charged back from a breakdown and reeled off five games in a row to snatch the one-set lead.

In the second set, Sabalenka slammed a backhand winner to save a break point and hold for 1-1. She was untroubled from there, cracking a backhand crosscourt winner to seal the match.

Sabalenka will face her former regular doubles partner, No.26 seed Elise Mertens, in the third round. At their peak, Sabalenka and Mertens were a formidable duo who won Grand Slam doubles titles at the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open.

Mertens of Belgium set up the meeting by defeating American Lauren Davis 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 12 minutes. She ended the eight-match winning streak of Davis, who won the Hobart title as a qualifier last week.

Mertens has thrived at the Australian Open, reaching the 2018 semifinals in her main-draw debut at the event. The Belgian has made the third round or better in all six of her main-draw appearances in Melbourne.

However, Sabalenka holds a 6-2 advantage in their singles rivalry. In their most recent meeting, Sabalenka beat Mertens 6-4, 6-1 in the Round of 16 at the 2021 US Open.

--IANS

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London, Jan 19 (IANS) South Africa opener Hashim Amla, who has joined MI Cape Town as a batting coach for SA20, has announced his retirement as player from all forms of cricket.

The 39-year-old South African batting legend has informed Surrey Country Club that he will not play for them in the County Championship 2023. Amla had played a key role in helping Surrey win the Championship in 2022, the last season of his contract with the county club.

In his two-decade-long career, Amla has scored 34,104 runs across all formats -- 9,282 of them in 124 Tests, the second highest for his country behind Jacques Kallis for his country. This included 28 hundreds and a best of 311 not out against England at The Oval in 2012, which was also South Africa's first triple-century in Tests.

Amla was also quite successful in white-ball cricket, scoring 8113 runs including 27 hundreds in 181 ODIs, and 1,277 runs in 44 T20Is.

A few months back he embarked on a coaching career, joining MI Cape Town as a batting coach in the ongoing SA20.

Amla quit international cricket after South Africa's campaign ended in the 2019 ODI World Cup. He had bowed out of Test cricket earlier in the same year after a match against Sri Lanka at Gqeberha in February ending a two-decade career that stretched from 200 4o 2019.

On Wednesday he officially informed Surrey that he would not return to help them defend the title they won in 2022. He rejoined Surrey in 2019, having also represented the county as an overseas player in 2013 and 2014. He had earlier had stints with Derbyshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Essex. He also represented Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and Kwa-Zulu Natal, Dolphins and Cape Cobras in South Africa's domestic competitions.

--IANS

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Benoni (South Africa) Jan 16 (IANS) Captain Shafali Verma hit a blistering 78 while her opening partner Shweta Sehrawat slammed 74 not out and carried her bat throughout the innings to set up India's massive 122-run victory over UAE in their second Group D match of ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup at the Willowmoore Park on Monday.

Led by Shafali and Shweta's entertaining knocks with the bat, apart from Richa Ghosh's quickfire 49, India managed to post a mammoth 219/3 in their 20 overs, the first time a team in the tournament posted a 200+ score in an innings.

In reply, the Indian bowlers led by pacers Titas Sadhu and Shabnam MD were brilliant upfront, picking a wicket each and immaculate with their line and length to defend the huge total with great ease, restricting UAE to just 97/5 in their 20 overs.

Left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap and leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra also picked a wicket each as India now sit on top of the Group D points table with two wins in as many matches. Their final match of Group D will be against Scotland on Wednesday.

Having been put in to bat first, Shafali, Shweta and Richa produced knocks that were aggressive and never let the momentum shift away at any stage in the match. Shafali and Shweta easily breezed to sharing a first-wicket partnership of 111.

While Shweta dropped anchor, Shafali was the fierce aggressor apart from some exquisite timing, hitting 12 fours and four sixes at a strike-rate of 229.41 in her 34-ball 78, before falling in the ninth over off Indhuja Nandakumar.

Shweta then took over and began hitting boundaries for fun, collecting ten overall to be unbeaten on 74 off 49 balls, with Richa joining in the fun too by hitting five fours and two sixes in her 29-ball 49.

On a day of carnage for the bowlers' economy rates and UAE fielders dropping catches, medium pacer Samaira Dharnidharka's 1/33 off her four overs was the nearest to reining the rampant Indians in.

The UAE threatened to respond aggressively in a tall chase of 220, with opener and captain Theerta Satish (16) slamming Shabnam for four fours in an opening over which would go for 17 runs.

But the moment she was dismissed off the fifth ball of that over by Shabnam, it was all downhill for the UAE. While they resisted being bundled out, a combination of accurate bowling by India and scoreboard pressure meant they never had a realistic chance of winning the match.

Brief scores: India 219/3 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 78, Shweta Sehrawat 74 not out; Samaira Dharnidharka 1-33, Indhuja Nandakumar 1-47) beat UAE 97/5 in 20 overs (Mahika Gaur 26, Lavanya Keny 24; Titas Sadhu 1-14, Parshavi Chopra 1-13) by 122 runs

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) After winning Player of the Series award in India's 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, talismanic batter Virat Kohli said it is indeed an ideal start for him, especially with the ODI World Cup scheduled later this year.

On a slow yet placid pitch at the Greenfield International Stadium, Kohli was off the blocks quickly, and anchored the innings for a large part to be unbeaten on 166 not out off 110 balls, his tenth hundred against Sri Lanka. In his third century in last four ODI innings, Kohli hit 13 fours and eight sixes, feasting on a hapless bowling attack.

In the last ten overs, he fetched 84 out of the 116 runs India scored to literally bat Sri Lanka out of the match as the hosts' made a mammoth 390/5 on Sunday. Kohli was the top run-scorer of the series, making 283 runs in three innings at an average of 141.50 and strike-rate of 137.37, making centuries in Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.

"It's been a great start (to the year). It's been a while since I started the year like this… getting a hundred and then scoring two hundred in the series and also becoming the man of the series. I am just happy that in the World Cup year, I can start like this, and I know I can be consistent."

"When I start like this, and I start feeling confident, then things usually go well. I am happy from a team's point of view that I got to start like this and that the team can gel really well as a batting unit," said Kohli in a video posted on bcci.tv.

Kohli also congratulated opener Shubman Gill for his second ODI century and first in India too. "Congratulations for your first hundred in India. You deserved to get one in the first match. Today also you played phenomenally well and many more at home and away will come in the future."

He had also shared a 131-run partnership with Gill, who was stylish in his 116 off 97 balls, hitting 14 fours and two sixes, which came after missing chances to get a big knock in Guwahati and Kolkata.

"I was disappointed when I got out in the first ODI. I was looking to go big in that match but unfortunately, nahi ho paaya (it didn't happen). In Kolkata, also, I was playing well but failed to convert my start. Yahi tha ki agar start milta hai to lamba jaane ki koshish karunga (Today I just wanted to take it deep if I would have got a great start). I have felt in Test matches as well that I left a bit of runs there and could have gone even big," he said.

Gill also credited Kohli for helping him through the innings to reach three-figure mark. "Jaise jab hum batting kar rahe they tab aapne aa ke kaha ki tera aaj lamba jaane ka time hai aur aapne aate hi rhythm badal diya (While we were in the middle, you told me that today I am going to score big and you changed the rhythm right from the word go)."

"You were batting on 15 in first seven-eight balls and whatever was discussed with you, I had kept that in mind while batting alongside you."

Kohli remarked he enjoyed batting with the youngster. "I really enjoyed batting with Shubman. We haven't batted for very long many times. But today (Sunday) was the day where we had a good partnership and it really helped the team as well. So, I was very happy about that."

The next assignment for India in their home season is three ODIs against New Zealand, starting from Wednesday in Hyderabad.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14 (IANS) Though India have already clinched the ODI series against Sri Lanka by winning the first two matches in Guwahati and Kolkata, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be aiming for a clean sweep at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Sunday.

For Sri Lanka, who have been outwitted in the matches at Guwahati and Kolkata despite showing some fight, ending the tour on a high with a victory will be on their minds.

In India's build-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup, to be held in the country in October and November, they have done fairly well. Rohit, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli did very well with the bat in Guwahati.

At Kolkata, wicket-keeper-batter K.L. Rahul showed that he can be a reliable batter at number five when he shared vital stands with Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav in acing a chase of 216.

With the series already in the bag, it remains to be seen if India can experiment by getting Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the playing eleven at Thiruvananthapuram. In terms of bowling, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik have been extremely impressive in bamboozling the Sri Lankan batters.

While Siraj has been impressive with wickets upfront, Malik has admirably stepped up to be India's enforcer in the middle overs in the absence of tall quick Prasidh Krishna. But India would like to see Malik have more tricks in the bag after some massive improvement in control.

Kuldeep, the left-arm wrist-spinner, played the second ODI only because leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up a shoulder niggle in the first ODI. He made the chance count by taking 3-51 and triggering a meltdown of Sri Lanka's batting in the middle overs.

If Chahal regains full fitness for the third ODI, India will have a healthy headache in either playing him or persisting with Kuldeep, who is strengthening his place for the ODI World Cup squad.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have shone, but in patches. In Guwahati, Pathum Nissanka scored 72, Dhananjaya de Silva made a 40-ball 47, and Dasun Shanaka smashed an unbeaten 102. At Kolkata, Kusal Mendis and debutant Nuwanidu Fernando did well, but despite some lofty lower-order hits, Sri Lanka weren't up to the mark with the bat.

With the ball, their bowlers did put up a much-improved performance in Kolkata after conceding 373 in Guwahati. But they were unable to dislodge Rahul from the crease and were guilty of giving away many extras which did play a role in their being unable to save the series.

At Thiruvananthapuram, they would like for a performance where the bowlers and batters click in unison to give a strong fight to a formidable Indian team, who are aiming for a series sweep after the 2-1 series loss to Bangladesh in December 2022.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sadeera Samarawickrama

--IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) This past week brought football fans Matchday 16 of the 2022/23 LaLiga Santander season and it was a thrilling one, with some results that could prove decisive come the end of the campaign.

The main storylines from the weekend's action:

1 FC Barcelona move three points clear
There was a huge match in Spain's capital on Sunday night, as FC Barcelona visited Atletico de Madrid, with Barca earning an impressive 1-0 victory courtesy of a first-half Ousmane Dembele strike. That makes it two wins from two now for Xavi in his meetings as a coach with Diego Simeone, while the result also means FC Barcelona pull three points ahead of title rivals Real Madrid.

2 Quique Setien's Villarreal CF are clicking
The reason Barça pulled further clear at the top this weekend is because their former coach Quique Setien oversaw a 2-1 victory when his Villarreal CF side hosted Real Madrid. El Submarino Amarillo were magnificent from start to finish, with Yeremy Pino and Gerard Moreno netting their two goals, even though the Castellon club could have scored more.

3 This could be the year that La Real return to the Champions League
Real Sociedad won again this weekend, claiming a 2-0 win away at UD Almería's Power Horse Stadium, which has not been an easy place to visit this season. That result means they sit in third place and four points clear of fourth, so this might be the year in which Real Sociedad once again qualify for the Champions League, a competition they last played in back in 2013/14.

4 Joselu is an early favourite for the Zarra Trophy
The Zarra Trophy is the prize given out at the end of each LaLiga Santander season to the top-scoring Spanish player and there could be a new winner in 2022/23, with RCD Espanyol forward Joselu having struck nine goals already, including one in each of his two matches since the World Cup pause. Real Betis' Borja Iglesias and RC Celta's Iago Aspas, who has won this prize four times, are just one goal back on eight, but Joselu looks to be in unstoppable form.

5 Luiz Henrique is a special talent
Just days after his 22nd birthday, Luiz Henrique scored his first LaLiga Santander goal to earn Real Betis a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at Rayo Vallecano. The young Brazilian winger had already scored for Los Verdiblancos in Europe following his arrival in the summer, but produced a special solo goal in Vallecas, with a quick tip-tap dribble and an accurate finish. He is becoming an increasingly important player for the Andalusian side.

6 Juanmi is staying at Real Betis
Not only will Real Betis have Luiz Henrique at their disposal over the coming years, but they'll also have Juanmi for some time yet. The winger, who has 27 goals in 82 appearances for the club, renewed his contract this week, committing to Real Betis until 2026.

7 Frustrating debuts for RDT and Luis Suarez
Two of LaLiga Santander's top marksmen were back in action this past weekend, as Raul de Tomas made his re-debut for Rayo Vallecano and Luis Suarez turned out for new club UD Almería for the first time. Both strikers came off the bench to make their bows and did so with their teams already losing, proving unable to change the result in this first matchday back. Before long, though, they'll surely both be back amongst the goals.

8 Lisandro Magallan returns to LaLiga Santander
Bottom-placed Elche CF have signed centre-back Lisandro Magallan as they aim to turn their situation around. For the Argentine, this will be his second experience in LaLiga Santander, as he previously played for Deportivo Alaves in the 2019/20 season.

9 Another individual award for Courtois
Thibaut Courtois is playing at a spectacular level and has been for some time. His displays in 2022 saw him win several individual trophies and he claimed another this week, being named the best goalkeeper in the world in 2022 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

10 Four top-tier fixtures in the Copa del Rey last 16
This past week, we also witnessed the draw for the Copa del Rey last 16. With just four lower league teams still remaining in the competition, there will be several all-LaLiga Santander ties in the next round, namely Villarreal CF vs Real Madrid, Real Sociedad vs RCD Mallorca, Real Betis vs CA Osasuna and Athletic Club vs RCD Espanyol.

--IANS
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Dubai, Jan 10 (IANS) Some of the biggest cricketing superstars got a feel of the phenomenal city of Dubai through an exotic yacht ride across the Dubai Marina in the lead-up to the exciting opening ceremony of the DP World International League T20.

Two players from each of the six franchises had a meet and greet with the ILT20 trophy ahead of the month-long competition.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders' Ali Khan and Paul Stirling, Desert Vipers' Tom Curran and Ruben Trumpelmann, Dubai Capitals' Joe Root and Robin Uthappa, Gulf Giants' Shimron Hetmyer and Tom Banton, MI Emirates' Will Smeed and Imran Tahir, and Sharjah Warriors' Naveen-ul-Haq and Chris Woakes visited the iconic spots in the city -- Ain Dubai and Atlantis, The Palm and posed for pictures with the scenic Dubai skyline at the background.

The ILT20 will kick off with a grand opening ceremony at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday. Superstar Badshah and megastar Jason Derulo will be the leading acts during the glittering event, with 'Champion' DJ Bravo also set to put up a star performance on the night.

The Dubai Capitals will face off against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the opening match of the season.

Franchise teams, comprising over 100 International and 24 UAE-based players, include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global).

--IANS
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