2026 Abu Dhabi T10 Player Draft: Key Selections and Team Insights
Overview of the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10 Player Draft
The 2026 Abu Dhabi T10 Player Draft witnessed numerous international cricket stars being picked by various franchises in preparation for the upcoming season. Notable players such as Naseem Shah (Royal Desert Champions), Noor Ahmad (Emirates Eagles), Muhammad Amir (UAE Bulls), Alzarri Joseph (Arabian Aces), Dasun Shanaka (Yas Lions), Shadab Khan (UAE Bulls), Kusal Perera (Emirates Eagles), and Chris Jordan (Royal Desert Champions) were among the prominent selections.
UAE Talent in the Draft
The draft also highlighted the increasing pool of local talent, with several leading UAE players joining the six franchises. Key selections included Alishan Sharafu (Arabian Aces), Aayan Afzal Khan (Royal Desert Champions), Muhammad Waseem (Royal Desert Champions), Haider Razzaq (Emirates Eagles), Muhammad Rohid (UAE Bulls), Ansh Tandon (Yas Lions), and Luqman Faisal (Emirates Eagles).
Additionally, Awais Ali Shah (United Tigers), Dhruv Parashar (Royal Desert Champions), Harshit Kaushik (Emirates Eagles), Wali Muhammad (UAE Bulls), Adithya Shetty (United Tigers), Haider Ali (Yas Lions), and Vriitya Arvind (Arabian Aces) were also selected, enhancing the UAE representation across all teams.
Team-wise Draft Highlights
Arabian Aces
The Arabian Aces have built a strong squad featuring experienced players like Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings, and Imran Tahir. They also added Alzarri Joseph, Richard Gleeson, Dwayne Pretorius, and Dunith Wellalage to their roster, complementing pre-draft signings such as Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, and Liam Livingstone.
Emirates Eagles
For the Emirates Eagles, the batting lineup includes Alex Hales, KS Bharat, Hassan Nawaz, and Kusal Perera, while David Wiese and Chris Green provide all-round capabilities. The bowling department is bolstered by Noor Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed, and Ali Raza, alongside pre-draft signings Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, and Trent Boult.
Royal Desert Champions
The Royal Desert Champions have formed a formidable team led by Naseem Shah, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, and Chris Jordan. They also feature Muhammad Waseem, Brandon King, and Jayanth Liyanage for batting depth, with Gulbadin Naib and Keemo Paul adding all-round skills. The team previously secured Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, and Sherfane Rutherford.
UAE Bulls
The UAE Bulls boast a lineup rich in power hitters, including Andre Fletcher, Aneurin Donald, Khwaja Nafay, Max Bryan, and Azam Khan. Shadab Khan and Khushdil Shah enhance their all-round options, while Muhammad Amir and Nuwan Thushara strengthen the bowling attack. The franchise had already signed Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, and Romario Shepherd.
United Tigers
The United Tigers have a solid international presence with Azmatullah Omarzai, Odean Smith, and Mahedi Hasan providing all-round options. Abbas Afridi and Sufyan Moqim enhance their bowling resources. Their pre-draft acquisitions included the Pakistani trio of Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Faheem Ashraf.
Yas Lions
The Yas Lions have a wealth of experience with James Vince, Dasun Shanaka, Tom Moores, and Akeal Hosein among their selections. Eshan Malinga and Obed McCoy strengthen their bowling lineup, while the Lions had previously secured Jason Holder, David Willey, and Andries Gous. Aryan Dutt from the Netherlands also joins as their Associate Member selection.
Final Squads for Abu Dhabi T10 2026
Arabian Aces
Moeen Ali*, Andre Russell*, Liam Livingstone*, Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Arfan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Richard Gleeson, Sam Billings, Paul Walter, Alzarri Joseph, Imran Tahir, Salman Irshad, Quentin Sampson, Dwaine Pretorius, Vriitya Arvind, Ibrahim Masood, Amshi De Silva, Dunith Wellalage.
Emirates Eagles
Rovman Powell*, Shimron Hetmyer*, Trent Boult*, Haider Razzaq, Luqman Faisal, David Wiese, Noor Ahmad, Alex Hales, KS Bharat, Akif Javed, Hassan Nawaz, Rehan Ahmed, Ali Raza, Chris Green, Harshit Kaushik, Hilal Afghan, Toby Albert, Kusal Perera.
Royal Desert Champions
Nicholas Pooran*, Phil Salt*, Sherfane Rutherford*, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Naseem Shah, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Luke Wood, Gulbadin Naib, Brandon King, Janith Liyanage, Keemo Paul, Dhruv Parashar, Raizal Nadir, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Chris Jordan.
UAE Bulls
Kieron Pollard*, Sunil Narine*, Romario Shepherd*, Muhammad Rohid, Tahir Zaman, Aneurin Donald, Muhammad Amir, Andre Fletcher, Khwaja Nafay, Nuwan Thushara, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Max Bryant, Azam Khan, Wali Muhammad, Uddish Suri, Bradley Currie, Shadab Khan.
United Tigers
Fakhar Zaman*, Iftikhar Ahmed*, Faheem Ashraf*, Zeeshan Naseer, Awais Ali Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sufyan Moqim, Abbas Afridi, Odean Smith, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Noor ul Rahman, Shamim Hossain, Adithya Shetty, Noor Ullah Ayubi, Paul van Meekeren, Yasin Patel.
Yas Lions
Jason Holder*, David Willey*, Andries Gous*, Ajay Kumar, Ansh Tandon, James Vince, Dasun Shanaka, Eshan Malinga, Karim Janat, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Tom Moores, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Obed McCoy, Kamil Pooran, Haider Ali, Masood Gurbaz, Aryan Dutt, Akeal Hosein.
*Players signed before the Abu Dhabi T10 Player Draft.