EXCLUSIVE: 'ILT20 is an opportunity to put our case forward to IPL teams', says Gulf Giants' CP Rizwan

The ILT20 is set to begin with plenty of superstars set to make their appearance in the middle east. UAE's ILT20 is the latest addition to the worldwide fever of T20 cricket leagues in the world. Coming to the teams, The Adani Sportsline-owned Gulf Giants have in their squad UAE skipper CP Rizwan. With a number of franchises having the same owners as IPL teams, Rizwan was asked about the fact that whether players are looking forward to impressing them or not. It is a fact that almost every emerging cricketer dreams of playing in the best cricket league at some point of his career and Rizwan too was not shy to admit that.

"Definitely! It is a great stage for players to put their case forward. It is a great motivation for the cricketers and it makes their chances higher to play in the IPL. It is a great opportunity for the players who dream play in one of the biggest leagues in world cricket," said Rizwan.

The T20 format has taken cricket by storm over the last decade and more, and the juggernaut has no plans of slowing down either. The focus turns to the UAE with the ILT20, where the Adani’s Gulf Giants will be looking to make a big splash beginning 13th January. 

More often than not, the big names from the traditionally strong cricketing countries steal the limelight, however, Adani’s Gulf Giants are putting their faith and backing in players from the UAE. Picking up the baton first is CP Rizwan, the captain of the UAE cricket team, who is raring to go. 

"To work with an experienced person like Andy Flower, it is a great honour for us, and in terms of the squad, we have a good combination of dynamic, explosive, experienced and classy players. The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, James Vince and Chris Lynn can all destroy teams single-handedly on their day. We can’t wait to hit the ground and produce the goods," Rizwan said.

When asked about who are the players he is most looking forward to work with in Adani’s Gulf Giants’ squad, Rizwan said, “James Vince, he has played franchise cricket all over the world, Chris Lynn, a power house in T20 cricket, and Shimron Hetmyer to name a few. Then there is also David Wiese, who is very experienced. This is an exciting squad and working along side them and testing ourselves in tough conditions will help us grow as players.” 

Among the more popular sports in the Asian continent and across the globe, cricket, according to Rizwan is a big source of joy for everyone in the UAE.

"In the UAE, people love cricket a lot, the IPL, the India-Pakistan games, and Adani’s Gulf Giants have genuine crowd pullers like Lynn, Hetmyer and Vince. And I am sure, together we will provide the people with some great evenings and go on to build a fan base for the Gulf Giants as well."

The ILT20 is the first T20 tournament of the kind in the UAE, and Rizwan is gung-ho about this. “This is an opportunity for us UAE players to showcase our talent, rather than a challenge due to the presence of the international stars. We want to make use of this chance and express ourselves and entertain our fans. This is our chance to say to the world that we belong to the elite level.” 

Looking ahead to the tournament, Rizwan said, “The Adani franchises are among the best in whatever sport they enter. And here with the Gulf Giants, we want to make a mark and our team’s culture and work ethic will hopefully help us do the best we can. The management wants the best for us and we will work together in one direction.”

Gulf Giants squad: James Vince (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Tom Banton, Dominic Drakes, David Wiese, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Qais Ahmad, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Rehan Ahmed, CP Rizwan, Aayan Afzal Khan, Sanchit Sharma, and Ashwanth Valthapp