We’re here LIVE at the T10 League Season 2 Players Draft at The Amazing Room, V Hotel in Dubai.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest as the draft picks are announced.
9.30pm: And we are into the final Round 8….
Ali Khan – Bengal Tigers
Cameron Delport – Pakhtoon
Kennar Lewis – Northern Warriors
Hassan Khan – Punjabi Legends
Muhammed Irfan Jnr – Karachians
Benny Howell – Kerala Kings
Peter Trego – Rajputs
Richard Gleeson – Maratha Arabians
And that brings us to the end of the T10 League draft … some huge pick ups on the night. Standby for comment following.
9.24pm: Jade Dernbach an interesting pick up in Round 7 for Punjabi Legends
Here are the full round 7 selections:
Samiullah Shenwari – Karachians
Imran Nazir – Kerala Kings
Najibullah Zadran – Maratha Arabians
Khary Pierre – Northern Warriors
Rayad Emrit – Bengal Tigers
Shan Masood – Rajputs
Gulbadin Naib – Pakhtoon
Jade Dernbach – Punjabi Legends
8.51pm: Aussie left handed bat Ben Dunk is selected by Rajputs in Round 6 and Lendl Simmons will line up for Northern Warriors
Here are the full round 6 selections:
Roelof van der Merwe – Maratha Arabians
Lendl Simmons – Northern Warriors
Niroshan Dickwella – Kerala Kings
Joe Clarke – Karachians
Ben Dunk – Rajputs
Shapoor Zadran – Pakhtoon
Kevon Cooper – Bengal Tigers
Anwar Ali – Punjabi Legends
8.35pm: Round 5 is all done
18-year-old Qais Ahmad from Afghanistan is chosen by Rajputs, Caribbean all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford is selected by Bengal Tigers, Pakhtoon have named West Indian keeper Chadwick Walton, Kerala Kings go for West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen, wicket keeper batsmen Tom Moores will be playing for Punjabi Legends, former England test opener Adam Lyth is grabbed by Maratha Arabians, Northern Warriors take left hand paceman Obed McCoy and finally Karachians ink in Sri Lankan left-armer Isuru Adana.
8.04 pm: Tom Curran is a late pick in Round 4 for Kerala Kings
Afghanistan spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf is taken by Pakhtoon, Punjabi Legends select Kiwi medium pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, Karachians name Aussie leggie Fawad Ahmed, left arm spinner Samit Patel is snapped up by Rajputs, talented England all-rounder Tom Curran is a late pick for Kerala Kings, Northern Warriors take NSW offie Chris Green, Wasim Akram’s Maratha Arabians go for former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor and last pick in round 4 Bengal Tigers snare Sri Lankan bat Kusal Perera.
7.02pm: Dawid Malan, Umar Akmal and Sandeep Lamichhane all gone in Round 3
Punjabi Legends take Pakistan batsmen Umar Akmal, England big-hitter Liam Livingstone goes to Maratha Arabians, Northern Warriors select Nottinghamshire left arm pacemen Harry Gurney, Stephen Fleming and Bengal Tigers choose Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, recently dropped England test batsman Dawid Malan is named by Karachians, Nepal leggie Sandeep Lamichhane will be wearing the colours of the Kerala Kings, Pakhtoon retain Pakistan paceman Sohail Khan and finally Rajputs coach Herschelle Gibbs ink in Pakistan paceman Rahat Ali.
6.40pm: Round 2 sees Carlos Brathwaite, James Vince and Andre Fletcher selected
Into Category B…
Northern Warriors pick Jamaican all-rounder Rovman Powell, Darren Sammy using some local knowledge.
The other picks: Rajputs choose West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite, Punjabi Legends select Zahir Khan, Andre Fletcher is snapped by Pakhtoon, Bengal Tigers take Aamir Yamin, Maratha Arabians go for England bat James Vince, Muhammad Nawaz is named by Karachians and with the final pick in round two Kerala Kings go for left arm Pakistan paceman Junaid Khan.
Shahid Afridi is promising more “boom boom” for Pakhtoon.
6.35pm: Round 1 complete
So every team has now had one pick, here’s the summary of Round 1:
Pakhtoon – Colin Munro
Rajputs – Tymal Mills
Punjabi Legends – Muhammad Sami
Maratha Arabians – Lasith Malinga
Karachians – Ben Cutting
Bengal Tigers – Morne Morkel
Kerala Kings – Chris Gayle
Northern Warriors – Ravi Bopara
6.25pm: Deano weighs in for Munro
Dean Jones “mis-spelled the name” but Pakhtoon go for Kiwi big hitter Colin Munro while Rajputs go for England left-armer Tymal Mills. Punjabi Legends pick up Pakistan paceman Muhammad Sami.
The last pick of Round 1 goes to Darren Sammy’s Northern Warriors who go for England all-rounder Ravi Bopara.
6.22pm: Wasim makes a call and go for Lasith
UAE coach Dougie Brown consults with head coach Wasim Akram on the Maratha Arabians table and they go for Lasith Malinga. Muted applause for the veteran Sri Lankan speedster.
6:19pm: Big names in Round 1
The first round continues.
Karachians select New Zealand all-rounder Ben Cutting and Bengal Tigers go for Morne Morkel.
6.09pm: Kerala Kings “your time starts now”
Raja asks who starts the clock for the two minute time limit. It’s eventually worked out and the Kerala Kings pick Chris Gayle as the No1 pick!
6.00pm: Raja announces the rules
64 players picked tonight, eight per team, two each in Category A, B, C and F.
“This is serious stuff boys,” says Raja.
Kerala will pick first.
5.53pm; The Chairman of the T10 League, Shaji Ul Mulk opens the Draft
“This is the most exciting form of cricket in the world” says Ul Mulk.
He also refutes recent claims by Salman Iqbal, the former T10 president and part-owner, of a “lack of transparency” and “unprofessionalism” in the League saying “we don’t play games, we play cricket.”
5.47pm: Pakistan legend Rameez Raja is on stage
The voice of modern cricket is on stage ready to host tonight’s event.
5.36pm: Stephen Fleming arrives
The coach of the Bengal Tigers, Stephen Fleming, obviously got a different start time to the rest as he rocks in coolly six minutes past the “start” time.
5.21pm: The big names are gathering
Dean Jones, head coach of Pakhtoon, Darren Sammy, captain of the Northern Warriors, and the legend himself Wasim Akram, head coach of the Maratha Arabians, are all in the house as the seconds tick down for the T10 League draft.
Only minutes away.