Pro Bash to be held in Al Ain from March 12

Indopak Sports will host Pro Bash, a franchise-based tournament, which will feature seven teams and gets under way from March 12.

The tournament will witness the involvement of many A list local players from across all the cricket playing nations along with few UAE national team players.

Pro Bash, the first domestic franchise competition in Abu Dhabi, will offer hope for cricketers, who want to ply their trade in top-flight competitions.

The 25-over tournament, sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has drawn seven teams -- Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Stars,  Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs -- in an Indian Premier League-style format at the Al Ain Cricket Club, starting on Thursday.

“The concept here is to provide a strong platform for cricketers to compete at a good level,” said Shadab Ahamed of Indopak Sports, who is also the event director.

“We got this idea to start the Pro Bash because many cricketers don’t get to play on turf wickets. The majority of the matches are confined to low-level competitions and on cement wickets.

“There are turf wicket facilities but that comes at a price. It is beyond the means of those aspiring to play for the UAE national team. One of our objectives is to provide them with the opportunity to develop their cricket.”

“We assembled franchise owners to sign up players for their teams in three different categories -- diamond, platinum and gold -- and the remaining members free to sign,” Ahamed said.

“The contracted players are paid. We have also restricted teams to sign up only one player from the other emirate so as to provide the Abu Dhabi players with more playing opportunities.”

Ahamed believes the Pro Bash is already on a good platform.

“With that in mind, we are already looking ahead,” he said. “We want to have two UAE national team players in every team and an under 19 player in the playing 11 for the next edition.

“I think the way they have gone about in generating franchise owners and the player response we have had, the future of the Pro Bash looks bright.”

For the inaugural Pro Bash, UAE international Mohammed Usman is named as Abu Dhabi Dragons’ marquee signing and the UAE U19 international Osama Hassan as the emerging player for Pakhtoon Warriors.

“We conducted four other competitions before we arrived with the idea of staging the Pro Bash,” Ahamed said of their experience in running tournaments.

“We have deviated from the now established Twenty20 format to the 25 over-a-side to provide the players more playing time.

“It’s an older concept here in the UAE but gives a slightly longer period of play for the players. And we have tied up with Al Ain Cricket Club in using their brand new cricket facilities.”

The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.  

Indopak Sports was established in 2018, and within a span of a year they established themselves as a force to reckon by conducting several cricketing events across the county.