Expected to be one of the most riveting tournaments of the year, the Zim Afro T10, organised by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) in association with T Ten Global Sports, will hold its player draft on 2 July.
Ahead of that, the five franchises involved in the new league have announced their pre-draft marquee players.
The five teams that will battle it out for top honours are Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves and Cape Town Samp Army.
The inaugural edition will commence on 20 July, with a grand finale scheduled for 29 July.
All the games in the tournament will be played in Harare.
Each squad needs to have a minimum of 16 players including at least six Zimbabwean players, out of which one local player will be selected from the emerging player category during a nationwide talent hunt.
Ahead of the draft, the franchises can have a maximum of four top internationals as their pre-signed players – these four would be selected and announced before the start of the draft.
The following is the list of the top internationals pre-signed by each team:
HARARE HURRICANES
- Eoin Morgan
- Evin Lewis
- Shahnawaz Dahani
- Robin Uthappa
CAPE TOWN SAMP ARMY
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa
- Karim Janat
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Maheesh Theekshana
DURBAN QALANDARS
- Asif Ali
- Sisanda Magala
- George Linde
- Hazratullah Zazai
JOBURG BUFFALOES
- Yusuf Pathan
- Mushfiqur Rehman
- Tom Banton
- Noor Ahmed
BULAWAYO BRAVES
- Sikandar Raza
- Ashton Turner
- Tymal Mills
- Ben McDermott
ZC Managing Director Mr Givemore Makoni said: “We are in the final stages ahead of the Zim Afro T10’s inaugural edition. This gives me immense joy because to see this play out in reality has been a dream for all of the Zimbabwean cricket family as it is a watershed moment in the history of the sport in the country. The fans, I am sure, are keenly waiting for the opening day.”
T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman Mr Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk said: “To bring the T10 to Zimbabwe has been high on the agenda for us in the recent past, and that we are on the home stretch ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament is a source of great satisfaction for me.
This is a red-letter day in the history of the sport – there will be another landmark on the day of the player draft. We can’t wait to get things rolling and welcome the best of the best players to Harare.”
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