Emirates to Bring IPL Team to Dubai for Twenty20 Cricket Carnival

Emirates is to continue its support of the Arabian Cricket Challenge (ARCH) as the organisers embrace the thrilling Twenty20 format which has captivated cricket fans around the world.

And, in addition to the stars of the English County game which will be featuring for a third time, spectators will get to see some of the best emerging talent from the Indian Premier League. Kings XI Punjab - the IPL team which Emirates is the title sponsor of - will be sending the squad members earmarked to follow in the footsteps of star players like Yuvraj Singh, Brett Lee, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakarra.

To signal the change in format after two years as a 50-over tournament, the event has been renamed the Emirates Airline Twenty20 and will also have a new home – 7he Sevens, Emirates’ dedicated sporting facility, which will unveil cricket pitches and a pavilion in the New Year.

The young stars of Kings XI Punjab face a stern test, with England’s Twenty20 Cup holders and NatWest Pro40 champions Sussex CCC – who feature England players Luke Wright, Ed Joyce and James Kirtley – heading up the four-team event on 19th and 20th March.

Fellow England stars Mark Ramprakash and Steven Davies are also expected be taking part, playing for Surrey CCC, while the line-up is completed with a Fly Emirates XI made up of talented employees who juggle cricket with busy work schedules at the Emirates Group.

The two days of cricket - scheduled to be broadcast worldwide - will be supported by a number of other activities as part of a cricket carnival, which the organisers hope will help the event become an integral part of the sporting and social calendar of Dubai.

Tournament director and ARCH founder Matthew Jackson said, “With an IPL side involved, we are excited that in 2010 we now have truly international competition. We hope the Emirates Airline Twenty20 will grow quickly to become a similar event in size and style to the highly successful Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.”

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