Lahore Qalandars to participate in Abu Dhabi T20 tournament

ABU DHABI: Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars will participate in a T20 tournament in Abu Dhabi from October 4 to 6, as part of 'Sheikh Zayed Year' celebrations.

Apart from Qalandars, top four other teams of different leagues would also be participate in the tournament, including Hobart Hurricane from Australia, Yorkshire Vikings of England, Titans from South Africa and Boost Defenders from Afghanistan.

Though it is not confirmed yet chances are that the 6th team will be a local one.

The tournament, ADT20, will feature superstars like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn and others.

Amid mushroom growth of T20 leagues, it will be quite interesting to see how this tournament would be different.

"These teams are not participating with their original full strength; they are developing squads," sources disclosed to this correspondent.

"There are hundreds of players, who have passion but do not get an opportunity. This tournament will provide a platform to them, they would be able to demonstrate their potential and get a chance to become a part of their main teams.

"We want to develop young players, no one buys any team," the sources said.

Qalandar's got a privilege over other teams due to their Players Development Program (PDP), which was highly appreciated by various cricketing nations. Especially the Australians really got impressed when the PSL franchise sent its young boys to play with Sydney Thunders in Australia two years ago.

When contacted, Atif Rana, the CEO of Lahore Qalandars, confirmed his franchise's participation in the tournament.

"We are really excited to participate in ADT20, it is yet another incentive for young players. As you are aware of the fact that Lahore Qalandars' main objective is to promote young talent," Rana said.

"We are going to start our new PDP from the next month so there are bright chances for emerging players to cement their place for ADT20 in October."