The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that its planned T20 cricket league, which was to take place in December and January, has been cancelled.
In a statement, the ECB said that following talks with event promoter OPi, it has been mutually agreed to cancel the UAE T20x franchise cricket league.
The decision follows the conclusion of the invitation to tender process for tournament franchises.
“Both the ECB and OPi had been hopeful of achieving the sale of five franchise teams for the first year of the tournament, and whilst negotiations had been completed on two franchise teams and a further three were well advanced, it was felt that there was no longer sufficient time to close the sales process and to successfully deliver and promote a December event,” the statement said.
OPi, a privately-owned sports promoter, and the ECB had been working together since 2017 to develop the new franchise league, and had attracted interest and support from many of the world’s leading players and coaches.
The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July to explore potential limitations on T20 cricket leagues and player participation in them, meant that investment into UAE T20x had to be curtailed throughout the summer in anticipation of a decision, the ECB said.
This in turn impacted timings around commercial conversations with potential franchise buyers, the ECB added.
Plans for the T20 cricket league were announced in June and the tournament was planned to take place in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The event received the support of six ICC full member nation cricket boards, including England and Wales, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, New Zealand and the West Indies.
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