Big names from the cricketing world and Bollywood announce in Zimbabwe Africa T10 league

Harare: Many Bollywood celebrities are investing more and more in sports. Adding to the list is Sanjay Dutt, who has become a franchise owner in the upcoming Zim Afro T10 League. The veteran actor will own the host team Harare Hurricanes along with Sir Rohan Roy, Founder and CEO of Aries Group.

Part of the journey of the fastest format in cricket, T10’s next destination is Zimbabwe, where the inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 will be held from July 20-29. A golden visa-holder of Dubai, Dutt’s partnership with Roy will be their first in the sport of cricket. Awarded with the knighthood of Parte Guelfa in Florence, Italy, Roy is a serial entrepreneur with the Aries Group headquarters in Sharjah.

The Zim Afro T10 represents franchise cricket’s first foray in Zimbabwe and the tournament will have five privately owned teams battling it out for the top prize. The other four teams will be Durban Qalandars, Cape Town Samp Army, Bulawayo Braves, and the Joburg Lions. The players’ draft is slated to take place on July 2 at a grand ceremony in Harare.  

Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Mr Givemore Makoni said, “To see some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry throw their weight behind the Zim Afro T10 gives me immense pleasure, and tells me that the tournament is being well received. Now, all that is left is that the Harare Hurricanes put in a brilliant showing in the tournament next month.” 

“Cricket is like a religion in India, and as one of the biggest nations in the sport, I feel it is our duty to take the game to every corner of the world. Zimbabwe has a rich history in the sport and to associate with that and help fans have a great time is something that truly gives me joy. I am looking forward to the Harare Hurricanes doing really well at the Zim Afro T10,” Sanjay Dutt, Co-Owner, Harare Hurricanes, said. 

“I am delighted to work with Sanjay Dutt as we make our team the Harare Hurricanes at the Zim Afro T10. It is the most entertaining and enterprising format in the sport and this association is a chance to realise a childhood dream. May the best team win at the Zim Afro T10,” Sir Sohan Roy said. 

T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman Mr Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk said, “Sohan Roy and Sanjay Dutt coming together is a dream partnership for me, and I am extremely happy that they have chosen the Zim Afro T10 to begin their cricketing journey. Both, Sohan and Sanjay, are very dynamic and great leaders, and I am sure that their team, Harare Hurricanes, will display those characteristics at the Zim Afro T10.”

The first marquee players have been lined up for the upcoming Zim Afro T10 league by the participating five teams before the draft is held on July 2. The inaugural edition will see some big names such as Eoin Morgan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikander Raza, Asif Ali and Yusuf Pathan lining up in Harare.

Organized by Zimbabwe Cricket in association with T Ten Global Sports, the Zim Afro T10 is expected to be one of the most riveting tournaments of the year and will be held from July 20 to 29.

Each squad needs to have a minimum of 16 players and at least six Zimbabwean players in the squad out of which one Zimbabwean player will be selected from the emerging player category from the nationwide talent hunt. Ahead of the draft, the franchises are allowed to have a maximum of 4 top internationals as their pre-signed players.

The five teams that will battle it out for the top honors are Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves, and Cape Town Samp Army. All the games in the tournament will be played in Harare.

The following is the list of the top internationals pre-signed by each team.

Pre-Draft signings

Harare Hurricanes: Eoin Morgan, Evin Lewis, Shahnawaz Dahani, Robin Uthappa

Cape Town Samp Army: Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Karim Janat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana

Durban Qalandars: Asif Ali, Sisanda Magala, George Linde, Hazratullah Zazai

Joburg Buffaloes: Yusuf Pathan, Mushfiqur Rehman, Tom Banton, Noor Ahmed

Bulawayo Braves: Sikander Raza, Ashton Turner, Tymal Mills, Ben McDermott

Zimbabwe Cricket’s Managing Director Givemore Makoni said, “We are in the final stages ahead of the Zim Afro T10’s inaugural edition. This gives me immense joy because to see this play out, in reality, has been a dream for all of the Zimbabwean cricket family, and it is a watershed moment in the history of the sport in the country. The fans, I am sure, are keenly waiting for the opening day.”

Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, T Ten Global Sports Founder, and Chairman said, “To bring the T10 to Zimbabwe has been high on the agenda for us in the recent past, and we are on the home stretch ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament, is a source of great satisfaction for me. This is a red-letter day in the history of the sport, there will be another landmark on the day of the player draft. We can’t wait to get things rolling and welcome the best of the best players to Harare.”