A strong group of UAE players have secured places across all six Abu Dhabi T10 franchises after the player draft for the 2026 season.
Muhammad Waseem and Aayan Afzal Khan were selected by Royal Desert Champions, while Alishan Sharafu joined Arabian Aces and Muhammad Rohid went to defending champions UAE Bulls.
Haider Razzaq and Luqman Faisal were picked by Emirates Eagles, Ansh Tandon joined Yas Lions and Awais Ali Shah was selected by United Tigers.
Vriitya Aravind, Dhruv Parashar, Harshit Kaushik, Wali Muhammad, Adithya Shetty and Haider Ali were also among the UAE players taken in the draft.
The selections completed the squads for the revamped six-franchise competition, which begins at Zayed Cricket Stadium on November 7.
We reported last month that UAE Bulls had become the first franchise confirmed under the competition’s new structure. Emirates Eagles and Yas Lions were among the new teams announced in the weeks that followed.
International names were also prominent in the draft.
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah joined Royal Desert Champions, where he will play alongside Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt and Chris Jordan.
Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad and England batter Alex Hales were selected by Emirates Eagles. They join a squad that already included Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult before the draft.
UAE Bulls added Pakistan pair Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan. Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Romario Shepherd had already signed for the defending champions.
Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka was picked by Yas Lions, while Arabian Aces added West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph. Kusal Perera joined Emirates Eagles.
The 2026 season will be the first full edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 under its new six-franchise structure.
Each team was allowed three direct signings before completing its squad through the draft. The playing conditions also require at least two UAE players in each starting XI.
The tournament will run from November 7 to 20 at Zayed Cricket Stadium.
Full Abu Dhabi T10 squads
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 Aravind, 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, Mohammad 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, 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.
*Signed before the player draft.
