Gemini Arabians
 | |
| League | Masters Champion League |
|---|---|
| Personnel | |
| Captain | Virender Sehwag |
| Coach | Andrew Shedlock |
| Owner | Nalin Khaitan, Khaitan Holdings Group |
| Manager | Adel Farooq |
| Team information | |
| City | Dubai,United Arab Emirates |
| Colours | Red |
| Founded | January 2016 |
| Home ground | Dubai International Cricket Stadium |
The Gemini Arabians (also known by the acronym GA) are a franchise cricket team in the Masters Champions League. The franchise is owned by businessman Nalin Khaitan[1][2][3] from the Khaitan Holdings Group. The team is managed by its subsidiary Khaitan Sports Management LLC registered in Dubai, UAE. The team is currently captained by Virender Sehwag[4][1] and coached by Andrew Shedlock from South Africa.
The leading run-scorer of the side is Kumar Sangakkara who is also the leading run scorer of the league with 386 runs, while the leading wicket-taker is Muttiah Muralitharan with 15 wickets and leads the wicket taker list of the league. The official theme of the team is Tu Mar Mere Yaar[5] and the official colours Red with golden stars.
Franchise history[edit]
In 2015, the Zafar Shah owner of Grand Midwest announced the launch of the Masters Champions League, which had approval from the Emirates Cricket Board. The tournament is a T20 tournament for retired cricketers held in the UAE.[6][7]
The franchise were named after star signs and Khaitan Holdings Group bought the star sign representing Gemini for US$ 15 million for 10 years. The team is named Arabians representing the spirit of Arabia being the local team owner of UAE.
Players auction[edit]
The league auction was held on 7th December 2015 at Grand Midwest Hotel in Dubai. Richard Levi was the most expensive buy for Gemini Arabians at the auction going for a value of USD 150,000[8][9]
Gemini Arabians was the most expensive team in the MCL.[10]
| Players | Auction Amount US$ | |
|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | Undisclosed | |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Undisclosed | |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 120,000 | |
| Kyle Mills | 42,000 | |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | 42,000 | |
| Jacques Rudolph | 58,000 | |
| Naved-ul-Hasan | 38,000 | |
| Justin Kemp | 70,000 | |
| Paul Harris | 20,000 | |
| Brad Hodge | 120,000 | |
| Richard Levi | 152,000 | |
| Ashish Bagai | 10,000 | |
| Graham Onions | 56,000 | |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 30,000 | |
| Saqib Ali (cricketer) | 10,000 | |
Sponsors and partners[edit]
Due to the poor marketing of the league, sponsorship was extremely poor in the first year of Masters Champions League. Gemini Arabians was sponsored by TVS motors, KJS Cements, Aquakraft, Suntek Realty, The Mobile Store, Mobile Wallet and Khaitan Holdings.[11]
Players[edit]
- Virender Sehwag (Batsman, India)
- Kumar Sangakkara (Wicketkeeper, Sri Lanka)
- Muttiah Muralitharan (Spinner, Sri Lanka)
- Kyle Mills (Fast bowler, New Zealand)
- Saqlain Mushtaq (Spinner, Pakistan)
- Jacques Rudolph (Batsman, South Africa)
- Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (All-rounder, Pakistan)
- Justin Kemp ((All-rounder, South Africa)
- Paul Harris (Spinner, South Africa)
- Brad Hodge (Batsman, Australia)
- Richard Levi (Batsman, South Africa)
- Ashish Bagai (Wicketkeeper, Canada)
- Graham Onions (Fast bowler, England)
- Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Batsman, West Indies)
- Saqib Ali (Batsman United Arab Emirates)
Jersey Launch and Team Mascot[edit]
The jersey was revealed in the skies above Dubai with skydivers unfurling a giant jersey. Some of the team players and team owner Nalin Khaitan also parachuted down into the venue. The unfurling was followed by an official launch ceremony and press conference attended by journalists representing all major media outlets in the United Arab Emirates.[12][13][14][15]
The people behind Gemini Arabians have been very closely involved with the development of cricket in the UAE. As a reflection of this, the team’s mascots are cricket-loving Emirati twins.[16][17][18]
Teams of MCL[edit]
| Team | Captain | Icon player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libra Legends |  Jacques Kallis
|
Jacques Kallis
| |
| Gemini Arabians |  Virender Sehwag
|
 Kumar Sangakkara
| |
| Sagittarius Strikers |  Adam Gilchrist
|
Mahela Jayawardene
| |
| Virgo Super Kings | Graeme Smith
|
Brett Lee
| |
| Capricorn Commanders |  Paul Collingwood
|
Paul Collingwood
| |
| Leo Lions |  Brian Lara
|
Brian Lara
| |
Results[edit]
| Date | Venue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Result | Runner-up | ||
| 28th Jan 2016 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 234/3 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 78 runs [19] |
Libra Legends 156/8 (20 overs) |
| 30th Jan 2016 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 133/2 (18 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 8 wickets (with 12 balls remaining) [20] |
Leo Lions 132/7 (20 overs) |
| 3rd Feb 2016 | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 190/4 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 10 runs [21] |
Capricorn Commanders 180/8 (20 overs) |
| 5th Feb 2016 | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 224/7 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 12 runs [22] |
Saggittarius Strikers 212/9 (20 overs) |
| 6th Feb 2016 | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 144/5 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 22 runs [23] |
Virgo Super Kings 122/6 (20 overs) |
| 1st Semi-final | ||||
| 11th Feb 2016 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 191/5 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 10 runs [24] |
Saggittarius Strikers 181/6 (20 overs) |
| Final | ||||
| 13th Feb 2016 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Gemini Arabians 130/7 (20 overs) |
Gemini Arabians won by 16 runs [25]scorecard |
Leo Lions 114/6 (19.3 overs) |
Gemini Arabians remain undefeated throughout the tournament (won 7 out of 7 matches) and won the inaugural season.
Controversy[edit]
The Masters Champions League was involved in controversy as five franchises did not pay their dues to the players and the league had undertaken to make those payments on behalf of the teams and failed to do so. The second edition of the league has yet to be announced. Gemini Arabians though was cleared of all the controversy as they had made the payment to all the players.[26][27][28]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Virender Sehwag's Gemini Arabians win inaugural Masters Champions League". News18.com. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Gemini Arabians Team Profile – T20 Wiki". Twenty20wiki.com. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Stars of Gemini Arabians Descend Upon Dubai". Dubaiprnetwork.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Sehwag stars for Gemini Arabians in Masters Champions League win over Sagittarius Strikers". Thenational.ae. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Listen to the Gemini Arabians' MCL team anthem". Sport360.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ K.R. Nayar (3 June 2015). "10 years of Masters Champions League cricket coming to UAE". Gulfnews.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "There's value for nostalgia: Zarah Shah". Cricbuzz.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ Report, Web. "LIVE: Masters Champions League 2015 players' auction". Khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Cricket Icons Return to Action in Masters Champions League". Newswire.ca. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Masters Champions League MCL 2015 Auction Price Team – News In Search". Newsinsearch.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Gemini Arabians seek brand status through masters cricket league". Thenational.ae. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "MCL 2020: Watch Sehwag-led Gemini Arabians' extra-ordinary jersey launch [Video]". Ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Watch: Gemini Arabians jersey launch event – CricTracker". Crictracker.com. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Masters Champions League: Gemini Arabia Jersey". YouTube. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ Gemini Arabians (11 January 2016). "Gemini Arabians – Official Launch". YouTube. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ [1][dead link]
- ↑ "Nalin Khaitan and the baby called Gemini Arabians". Cricbuzz.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ K R. Nayar (16 December 2015). "MCL's Gemini team owner hits half century". Gulfnews.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "1st Match (N), Masters Champions League at Dubai, Jan 28 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "4th Match, Masters Champions League at Dubai, Jan 30 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "7th Match (N), Masters Champions League at Sharjah, Feb 3 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "10th Match, Masters Champions League at Sharjah, Feb 5 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "12th Match, Masters Champions League at Sharjah, Feb 6 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "1st Semi-final (N), Masters Champions League at Dubai, Feb 11 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Final (N), Masters Champions League at Dubai, Feb 13 2016 – Match Summary – ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "MCL not honouring player contracts – FICA". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "'Payments will be made' asserts Masters Champions League's Zafar Shah". Thenational.ae. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Cricket-Fledgling UAE Twenty20 league vows to pay overdue wages". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
This article "Gemini Arabians" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- Cricket in the United Arab Emirates
- Professional sports leagues in the United Arab Emirates
- Cricket leagues in the United Arab Emirates
- Masters Champions League
- Sports leagues established in 2016
- Organisations based in Dubai
- 2016 establishments in the United Arab Emirates
- Recurring sporting events established in 2016
- Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2016
- Defunct cricket leagues
