MUMBAI: The newly introduced T10 Cricket league (TCL), which will be played at the UAE’s Sharjah Cricket Stadium, will be telecast live on Sony ESPN. The league is a four-day event running from the 14th to the 17th of December 2017.

TCL chairman Shaji-ul-Mulk told Indiantelevision.com that Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India has the digital rights as well. “The history is being made with the first ever 10-over-a-side match being played in the world with the approval of the ICC (International Cricket Council). Seventy international cricketers from different countries will participate in the league,” Mulk added.

The league will be live on ARY digital network for the US and UK markets, Channels 9 in Bangladesh, Ten Sports and Geo TV in Pakistan, and Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) in the Middle East and North Africa.

Virender Sehwag is the only Indian cricketer participating the league apart from current and former international players from Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, South Africa, among other countries.

The league will have six franchises—Punjabi Legends, Pakhtoons, Bengal Tigers, Team Sri Lanka Cricket, Maratha Arabians, and Kerala Kings. The inaugural edition of the league will have 13 matches, 10 overs a side, and 90 minutes of play in a single match.

The Heera Group from Hyderabad is the title sponsor for the tournament. The partnership was unveiled at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad as part of the Indywood Film Festival at the film city on 2 December 2017. The league is powered by the UAE’s Pacific Ventures and supported by the Rijas Group from Pakistan.

Speaking at the event, Heera Group founder and CEO Nowhera Shaik said, “As a business group, we have always backed innovative ideas. That has been a hallmark of our approach to business. So, when this concept came along, I was keen that we get associated with it as we ourselves come from the land where cricket is followed passionately."

The brains behind the concept, Shaji-ul-Mulk, who is the chairman of TCL and a member of the Emirates Cricket Board, was also present at the event in India. He said, "Since the advent of T20 cricket, I always felt that there could be something else that our sport could offer the world. It was then that I sat down to discuss with my team. We came up with the thought that cricket needs to match the best sporting action in the world. Most of these sports last no more than 90 minutes.

"We need to evolve with times and nothing should signify this better than giving a product to the fans that they can relate to. So, here we are after months of planning to finally unveil to the world our dream."