For the sixth iteration of the Abu Dhabi T10, the New York Strikers put up a potent team at the Player Draft that included Andre Fletcher and Wahab Riaz.
The New York strikers had already announced the hirings of Carl Crowe as coach and Yuvraj Singh as mentor. Going into the Player Draft, the Franchisee needed to fill 13 of the available 17 player slots.
Yuvraj, who took part in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament in 2019, will try to help the team out with his explosive batting skills. Carl Crowe has coached a variety of cricket franchises around the world, including Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and was the coach of the Deccan Gladiators, the 2021 Champions of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
The New York Strikers had already filled four of a total of seventeen available player slots before the Player Draft ever started. As a pre-draft addition, Keiron Pollard was signed as the Icon Player. Along with Pollard, several players were signed before the Player Draft, including the seasoned English batsman Eoin Morgan, the fiery young Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan, and the explosive Irish batsman Paul Stirling.
The New York Strikers, newcomers to the Abu Dhabi T10, enhanced their Caribbean flair by adding players such strong wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher, bowling all-arounder Romario Shepherd, and aggressive bowler Kesrick Williams.
The New York Strikers also signed Wahab Riaz, a seasoned Pakistani pacer and expert short-format bowler, who would lead the franchisee's pace attack during the competition.
Jordan Thompson, an aggressive bowling all-arounder from England, was selected by the Strikers. After scoring a 26-ball fifty for Yorkshire against Derbyshire in the Blast T20 competition in England in 2019, Thompson became well-known in the shorter forms of the game.
Also selected by The New York Strikers was Izhar-Ul-Haq Naveed. the 18-year-old Afghan leg break bowler who has yet to play for his country's senior team. In order to increase his chances of making the Afghanistan senior team before the T20 World Cup later this year, he will be seeking to impress at the Abu Dhabi T10.
The New Yorker strikers selected Tom Hartley as their emerging talent. The height and accuracy of the 23-year-old Slow left-arm orthodox bowler will be helpful in the game's shortest format.
The three UAE nationals were quickly taken by the New Yorker Strikers. They selected Nav Pabreja, a seasoned right-arm medium pace bowler, Muhammad Waseem, the opening batsman for the UAE national squad, and Muhammad Farooq, a skilled right-handed all-rounder who can contribute with both the bat and the ball.
The New York Strikers selected Akeel Hosein and Ravi Rampaul with their optional picks to further the Caribbean influence already present on the team. Due to his outstanding performances for the West Indies on the international level, Akeel Hosein has emerged in recent years as one of the most dynamic left arm orthodox slow bowlers. On the other side, Ravi Rampaul is one of the most well-known cricketers from Trinidad. A right-arm quick medium bowler, he has had an illustrious cricket career.
The New York Strikers' head coach, Carl Crowe, expressed his excitement for the group as he said, "For our inaugural season, a strong team that can adapt to game scenarios has been assembled. The roster contains the ideal balance of youth and experience. I'm eager to work with them all to meld together so they can each play to their maximum potential and work as a team on the field."
Sagar Khanna, owner of the New York Strikers, expressed his joy at the team he put together by saying, "We are sure that Yuvraj Singh and Carl Crowe's leadership will provide the team the appropriate motivation to succeed. The New York Strikers are playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 for the first time this year, and we're here to win. The players should share that expectation. I want The New York Strikers to leave a lasting impact that showcases our fiercely competitive spirit right from the opening match."
On October 23, the Abu Dhabi T10 will begin, lasting for 12 days until November 4, 2022.