KARACHI: Karachians, the newly inducted team in the T10 League which is set to commence in the UAE later this month, will be marking its entry by featuring top cricketing stars.

Arriving into the cricketing circuit as the eighth franchise to be participating in the second edition of the T10 League, Karachians, launched their team, jersey and theme song in Karachi on Sunday. The team will be led by Australian star player Shane Watson who is also the icon player of the team and he is joined by star players like Ben Cutting, England’s Jofra Archer and Zaheer Khan from India.

The league has been able to attract many star players in the upcoming second edition after the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave approval to member boards to issue NOCs to their players to take part in T10 league.

Mohsin Khan, who heads PCB’s newly-formed Cricket Committee, said about the league that the T10 league is gaining in popularity and ‘we will give the young players more chances to take part in international leagues.’

“When they (management of Karachians) came to me and told me about the league format and their plans for the city of light, it didn’t take me long to be convinced by their plan which is in favor of the young talent from Karachi,” he said.

The first edition of the league was won by Kerala Kings led by Eoin Morgan. However, Karachians are optimistic about making their presence felt in the second edition of the T10 league that is set to be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from November 21.

Speaking at the occasion of the team’s jersey launch, Karachians owner Mohammad Imran said, “It is great to see everyone welcoming the Karachians. The love and enthusiasm is surreal and makes us feel very proud on making the right choice of the team. Our logo symbolizes Karachi — the city of lights and the love for cricket possessed by its people.”

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2018