USA’s Skky Strikers announced today that they have acquired a franchise in the exciting Abu Dhabi T10, which will be called the New York Strikers. The addition of the New York Strikers to the tournament makes it an 8-team competition, with two teams joining the bandwagon from the USA. The Strikers’ franchise has had a successful stint as a cricket franchisee in USA, and hope to spread their wings in other parts of the world as well with well-known leagues such as the Abu Dhabi T10. The enigmatic left hander Yuvraj Singh has been brought onboard as the Team Mentor, he was previously been a part of the Abu Dhabi T10 league in 2019.
The Strikers franchise represents unity on and off the field and indomitable passion for cricket and is owned by Sagar Khanna, who has been extremely passionate about cricket from his childhood days. Sagar began his entrepreneurial journey in Telecommunications with Skky Group in Hicksville, New York in 2016. In terms of making his move in the world of cricket, Sagar began as a co-founder Skky Strikers and is now the sole owner of the franchise.
Elated to be part of the Abu Dhabi T10, Sagar said, “It is an extremely exciting time for our franchise as the Abu Dhabi T10 is a unique and highly competitive, bringing together elite players from across the globe. It gives us the perfect opportunity to compete against the elites of cricket and test ourselves out.”
“We have had some amount of success in the USA and we are keen to carry on in that vein over here also. As a franchise, we will do whatever it takes to ensure this is a memorable tournament for our fans and the family overall.”
The franchise has brought in Kieron Pollard as their Icon player and also signed on England’s 2019 ODI World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan as their Platinum player. Azam Khan from Pakistan and Ireland’s Paul Stirling are the two Category A players signed on by the franchise.
Speaking on the signings, Sagar said, “Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan are among the biggest names in white-ball cricket. Both are extremely dangerous players and we have no doubt that their leadership qualities will be extremely essential for our camp going forward. Both Pollard and Morgan strike fear in the opposition team’s minds, and we like that thought.”
“Paul Stirling and Azam Khan too are a couple very destructive batters, who can turn a game on its head very rapidly. The four players represent a strong and hardworking core, which is very much along the lines of our philosophy.”
Shaji-ul-Mulk, Chairman, T10 Sports Management, added, “I am delighted to welcome on board the New York Strikers team from the USA to our Abu Dhabi T10 family. Our aim was to establish the Abu Dhabi T10 as one of the standout events on the international cricket calendar and grow our global broadcast viewership numbers which currently stand at 342 million. With the addition of the two new teams from America, we continue building on the success of the tournament as cricket’s quickest format evolves at a rapid rate. We look forward to closely working with Sagar Khanna and his team as we get into our 6th season starting 23 November.”
The Abu Dhabi T10 will kick off from the 23rd of November 2022 and will be a two-week long tournament that will see international cricket stars compete in a short and exciting 10 over format. The New York Strikers are the second team from USA who will be participating in the Abu Dhabi T10 and will help highlight the growing quality of cricket in America.
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