Shahid Afridi to turn out for Qalandars in T10 League
Qalandars, who have close links with their PSL namesake Lahore Qalandars, are one of two new teams that will take part this year
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Sep-2019
Shahid Afridi brings out his trademark starfish celebration • Pakistan Super League
Two new teams - Qalandars and Bangla Tigers - will take part in this year's T10 League in Abu Dhabi. The latest team, Qalandars, was unveiled on Sunday, with Shahid Afridi signing on as the franchise's icon player.
"I was very excited to be a part of it (T10) from the time I heard it was going to be played in Abu Dhabi," Afridi said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi. "The first two editions of T10 were in Sharjah and now it is in Abu Dhabi. We will be here to provide fans all the entertainment in this short format of the game.
"T10 is a different concept where batsmen will have to have a go from the start. It's good to have some variety for the fans."
Qalandars have close links with their Pakistan Super League (PSL) namesake Lahore Qalandars, with the Pakistani businessman Fawad Rana serving as chairman of both teams. Rana had also invested in a franchise, Durban Qalandars, in the stillborn T20 Global League in South Africa, which later gave way to the Mzansi Super League (MSL).
Bangla Tigers, owned by Bangladeshi businessmen Yasin Chowdhury and Sirajuddin Alam, a former BCB director, were unveiled on Thursday.
The league had previously included a team named Bengal Tigers, but that team - owned by the India-based Danube Group - have since changed their name to Delhi Bulls. The erstwhile Sindhis franchise, meanwhile, have been rebranded following a takeover by the Indian businessman Gaurav Grover, and will now be called Deccan Gladiators.