United Pro Sports have launched their brand new one-day cricket tournament with a unique twist that will certainly keep players on their toes.
To be held on Friday, April 28 at Dubai’s United Pro Sports, eight teams have already signed up for the United Technology and Trading Co (UTTC) Cricket Challenge and there’s still time to get a side together with registration closing on Thursday.
While all matches will follow indoor cricket rules of eight overs, organisers have added a new rule with a ‘Bazooka’ over to make it more interesting.
“The Bazooka over is a new concept to the tournament that can certainly change the game around in just six balls,” said Manish Kishore, project consultant at UPS.
“This over can be taken between the first and seventh over and can be crucial because every run that is scored that tally is double, while each wicket that falls, it will mean -10 runs for the batting team.
“This is a unique thing for us because it means that players will have be on their toes throughout the game even though they may have a commendable lead because just one over can turn the game around. It can certainly lift the confidence of the team entirely if they do well.
“We have seen in the past that what an impact it can make can look forward to see how the teams approach it next week.”
Teams will be formed into one league with the top eight going through to the quarter-finals. Each side is guaranteed to play at least three matches.
While there is no restriction to age and abilities, Kishore insists it will be there plenty of reasons on why teams should sign up.
“United Pro Sports have been organising so many successful cricket tournaments and this one will be no different,” he said.
“The weather in this country is definitely getting hot and it’s much hotter than it was in previous years at this time of the month. So it’s a great opportunity for teams to play indoors and play at United Pro Sports and play in an exciting event.
“This will just be the start of a busy indoor cricket season for us because we have plans to introduce more during Ramadan so cricketers can continue playing during the summer even if the weather is hot outside.”
Registration costs Dh500 per team with trophies and medals up for grabs for the winners.
