Cricket fans from around the world will make their way to the UAE capital this October to watch six of the world’s best limited-overs teams contest the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy at Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The tournament, hosted by Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), will see some of the best existing and established teams from the sub-continent, Australia, Africa and the UK gather for a one-of-a-kind international tournament from October 4 – 6.

Contenders for the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy include England's Yorkshire Vikings, Afghanistan’s Boost Defenders, Tasmania’s Hobart Hurricanes, Pakistan’s Lahore Qalandars and South Africa’s Multiply Titans.

The line-up will see some of the sport’s marquee players including West Indes superstar Chris Gayle; Tymal Mills, the 25-year-old England international who’s claimed the title of England’s fastest bowler; Yasir Shah, the fifth fastest bowler in cricket history and Zimbabwean-English star Gary Ballance, the first Yorkshire captain to score two hundreds in the same first-class match.

Details of a sixth team to join the line-up will be announced soon.

“Fans can look forward to three days of thrilling entertainment in what we anticipate will be fiercely fought action to lift the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 trophy," said aid Aref Al Awani, general secretary, ADSC. "The tournament will certainly help cement Abu Dhabi’s international sporting credentials, reinforcing its major events hub reputation and expand awareness of our world-class facilities.”

The tournament has also won the support of global cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC) together with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).

“It’s an absolute honour to see the best of the best from around the world’s established teams gather in Abu Dhabi to offer fans an experience that does not currently exist anywhere else," said Matthew Boucher, acting CEO, ADC.

Tickets and hospitality packages are available, with general admission tickets starting from just Dh25 ($6.8) and are available through Ticketmaster.ae, from Virgin Megastores and the Zayed Cricket Stadium box office.

Each tournament is expected to see over 20,000 fans fill the rafters of the iconic Zayed Cricket Stadium, closely followed by millions worldwide through various broadcast channels.

ADC plans for the tournament to run for the next three years and a strategy is in place to enable the event to grow year on year. - TradeArabia News Service