Kerala Kings, winners of the first-ever international T10 tournament held at Sharjah is aiming to establish a closer nexus with the state and contribute to nurturing young talent….reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Kerala Kings, winners of the first-ever international T10 tournament held at Sharjah earlier this month have major plans to use this victory to establish a closer nexus with the state and contribute to nurturing young talent. The success of the four-day tourney has seen the team led by England Test Captain Eoin Morgan achieve a fan following from 2000 to 200,000 after the victory. The aim in the next few weeks is to get a support base that crosses one million.
Dr Shafi Ul Mulk, owner of the franchise along with Mr Hussein Adam Ali, is delighted with the outcome though he agrees that the competition was stiff and any of the teams could have won.
“At the outset we are approaching the Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinayari Vijayan to receive a replica of the trophy in a ceremony in the capital. This will establish a familiarity with the state whose name we bear,” he said.
“ It is a great victory for the champion team Kerala Kings and can be attributed to the great team teamwork & the captain Eoin Morgan leadership for the team,” said Hussein Adam Ali, co-owner of the Kerala Kings franchise.
Mr Hussein dedicates the team spirit camaraderie of Kerala Kings for the inaugural victory.
“We thank you all heartily for supporting the team, especially the Keralite diaspora in the UAE,” said Mr Hussein, who is also the chairman of the Swiss Arabian Perfumes.
“We will also be having a major coming together of the community stalwarts and public in the UAE and also discuss ways to encourage young people to train in the game through camps, coaching sessions and even the possibility of opening an academy. The Kerala Kings have miles to go and we wish to make the best of this impetus,” said Dr Shafi.
Asked why he had this affinity for Kerala Dr Shafi said: “One major factor is my wife is a Keralite and the other is this vibrant community is passionate about its cricket. They have a sense of togetherness and an identity that is unmistakable and their presence in this part of the world is so vital and strong. It is a pleasure to derive support from them and work with them on any enterprise. They have espoused Kerala Kings and that is now a bond, which is unbreakable. We shall collectively exploit this branding for the greater good. Let us see in this good season we might even be thinking of an interschool tournament.
Kerala Kings believe that like T20 put a spark into the one-dayers and the scores mounted in their average, a fair amount of T10 play will have the same impact on the T20.
Dr Shafi believes this extra short format give a new lease of life to cricketers. “Top players can carry on displaying their skills that much longer in a T10. Dhoni could go on for another ten years as an example. He is still the best keeper in the world,” he elaborated.
Next year another tournament certainly. Taking it out of the UAE, let us see, anything is within the realm of possibility.
