Abu Dhabi T10 League: Deccan Gladiators' skipper Kieron Pollard gears up for the new season

Abu Dhabi, January 22: West Indies cricket star Kieron Pollard, who has scored over 10,000 runs in the T20 format, is all set to be the captain of the Deccan Gladiators in the upcoming season of Abu Dhabi T10, powered by sky247net.

The competition will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from 28th January - 6th February 2021.

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Pollard expressed that the T10 format suits his style of cricket, "The thrill and excitement of T10 are limitless. But it's actually not too dissimilar to the kind of cricket I grew up playing. It's not about 'see ball hit ball'. You need to be able to think on your feet, anticipate and execute plans without pausing too much. It suits me, to be honest, and my experience stands me in good stead when reading the opposition."

Pollard added that a team is never out of the game in T10 cricket, "It's (T10) a great concept and one that's designed to create continuous excitement. You are never out of the game so those watching on the screen are glued to it every ball."

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The 33-year-old said that he is very excited to play with the likes of Sunil Narine and Imran Tahir in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, "I'm most excited about playing with the group that we have assembled at Deccan Gladiators. I can't wait to go out there with match-winners like Narine, Tahir, Shahzad, Ingram, the local UAE star Zahoor and others. We also have a few surprises up our sleeves for our opponents."

The Deccan Gladiators team owner Gaurav Grover expressed that the side is aiming nothing short of winning the trophy, "The target of Deccan Gladiators this time would definitely be to win the trophy. With the changes in the helm this year, there are high expectations from the Gladiators. We have taken care of every flaw we had, which might have been the reason for last year's defeat (in the final)."

Grover added that the Gladiators have enough firepower to win the competition, "We have West Indian powerhouse as our captain - Keiron Pollard and our Icon Player himself is fearless and unbounded spinner - Sunil Narine. Also, our team is packed with threatening bowlers such as fast bowler Aaron Summers and (leg-spinner) Imran Tahir. Talking about batsmen, we have Mohammad Shahzad, who is also a wicketkeeper."

Abu Dhabi T10 is the world's only ten-over cricket tournament officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and licensed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). It is the first-ever internationally approved ten-over format competition. The second edition of Abu Dhabi T10 will be held from 28th January - 6th February 2021. Abu Dhabi T10 is a UAE product that has grown into a globally accepted cricket format. Matches have a 10-over-a-side format and duration of 45 minutes a side totalling 90 minutes of play.

The tournament is played over ten days, with a round-robin followed by semi-finals and the final. The Abu Dhabi T10 tournament is a short, high energy format loved by global audiences and international cricket stars alike.