Two T10 cricket leagues are now in play. The Abu Dhabi T10 (ADT10) opened on Nov. 7 for its 10th edition and Italia T10 is preparing to open on Nov. 18 in Rome for its inaugural edition. 

Both have six franchise teams and operate with approval from their respective national boards, the Emirates Cricket Board and Federation Cricket Italia. As the titles suggest, matches are 10-overs per team with a maximum of two overs per bowler. The tournament is a round-robin format followed by a series of playoff matches and a final.  

ADT10 has seen significant year-on-year growth in viewership through television and digital streaming. The 2017 edition had about 37 million views that grew to 342 million in the 2021–2022 edition. According to GSIQ, a global insights agency, there have been about 1.2 billion cumulative viewers across the nine editions. 

In 2025, it is estimated that there were 180 million television and Over the Top (OTT) viewers — video content delivered directly over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite distribution. Almost two-thirds of the views were from the Indian subcontinent. More than 100 countries are reached via terrestrial, satellite, digital and OTT. Sixty-five percent of social interaction is driven by 18- to 34-year-olds. They switch rapidly between devices, which creates unprecedented fragmentation and remarkable opportunities for advertisers who can map these behaviors accurately. 

Cricket has become a major platform for marketers and advertisers. It has also become one for malfeasance. Issues of integrity have plagued ADT10 in the past, attracting the attention of the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit. In September 2023, eight individuals, including three players, coaches and team owners belonging to one franchise, were charged by the ICC with breaches of the anti-corruption code. 

Former Bangladesh international Nasir Hossain was banned for two years, while two other players were banned for 17.5 and five years, respectively. During the 2024 tournament, questions were also raised. One bowler overstepped the crease by a wide margin, whilst another bowled four no balls in an over. There have also been issues of ownership churn and player payments, which have caused reputational damage. Over its nine editions, the league has had no fewer than 24 different teams, along with no constant number per edition.  

In order to address these issues, a hard reset has taken place in 2026. The league was launched and owned by T Ten Sports Management, which sold a controlling stake to the government through the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, with the tournament now managed by the Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub, home to the Zayed Cricket Stadium. A 50-year license was granted by the Emirates Cricket Board. The tournament has been overhauled with five new team owners and investors, changed management structures and operational policies. 

The new ownership groups are an eclectic bunch. Five Indian entrepreneurs and chief executives co-own the Arabian Aces. The Emirates Eagles are owned by Maverick Sports and Entertainment, a consortium of six partners. One of them, Annam Satish Prabhakar, is involved with the Amaravati Royals in the Andhra Premier League. United Tigers are co-owned by two young individuals, Zainab Zehra Rizvi and Zaffir Yasin Chowdhury, who has been involved with ADT10 for seven seasons, whilst Rizvi is also co-owner of India Champions in the World Championship of Legends. The most recent entry was that of the Yas Lions, whose UAE-based owner, Jeetu Kataria, has long experience across institutional capital markets, investment banking, asset management and financial technology.

A former international banker, Amit Narang, is the lead owner of the Royal Desert Champions. It is his first entry into sports management and is looking to build success over the next three to five years. The sixth team is the reigning champions, UAE Bulls, who represent continuity having been part of ADT10 since its inception. Its owner is Neelesh Bhatnagar, who has been pursuing entrepreneurial interests in the UAE for 38 years. 

Ten-year franchises have been awarded. Matthew Boucher, the league’s CEO has said: “We want regular team owners, we want long-term contracts, so we don’t work in a world where we’re on one to two-year rotating agreements and then changing everything from year to year.” He also indicated that there had been interest from and communication with Indian Premier League franchise owners. However, they do not appear to have made any direct investment, most of the investors being relatively new to franchise cricket. Each of them has pledged commitment to growing the league and developing a stable premier cricket event for Abu Dhabi, to reinforce its standing as a major sporting events destination.

Development is also a key word in the lexicon of ItaliaT10, which aims to increase the profile of Italian cricket while creating new development pathways for players and clubs. Details of franchise ownerships were announced throughout October. It came as a surprise to learn on Oct. 27 that Jimmy Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket taker in Tests, will co-own and captain the Napoli Knights, teaming up with a former colleague, Luke Sutton. The announcement came hard on the heels of him being told by his county, Lancashire, that they would not be renewing his contract after 25 years of service. Anderson said: “Of course, we want Napoli Knights to be competitive and challenge for the title, but we also want to contribute to something that continues to grow well beyond the tournament itself.”

A few days before Anderson’s announcement it was confirmed that the Milan Icons are owned by Dr. Rashid Ali Khan, chair of Significant Sports and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. His bio indicates that he has been an integral part of the IPL. This experience should help underpin Milan Icons’ vision of creating a professionally managed franchise that is focused on nurturing talent and creating opportunities for cricketers. On Oct. 13, ownership of the Venice franchise was announced in Hyderabad, as Livewires Sporting Venture entered international franchise cricket. Its leaders are the managing director, Arvind Tadakamalla and the team director, MSK Prasad, an Indian cricketer in the 1990s and chief selector of the national men’s team between 2016 and 2020. 

On Oct. 8, the acquisition of the Brescia Lions by Mohammad Asif Nadeem was announced at a signing ceremony in Karachi. Nadeem is a prominent Pakistani cricket figure, a pioneer in organizing high-stakes, large-scale tape-ball (a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape) cricket tournaments and teams. The day before, in Karachi, the owner of the Rome Gladiators was revealed as Nadeem Omar, chair of Omar Associates, a prominent Pakistani mineral-processing company. Omar also has a passion for cricket, embodied in his purchase of the Quetta Gladiators franchise when the Pakistan Super League was launched in 2016. 

It is clear that both leagues have attracted new investors to cricket. ADT10 has attracted top international players, especially those from the Caribbean and Pakistan, the latter shut out of other tournaments. ItaliaT10 has attracted investors from Pakistan, England and India. Its squads will have 14 players, 10 Italians and up to four from overseas. Apart from Anderson, Chris Gayle has signed up and others are to be announced. T10 cricket is often derided. The reset of ADT10 and the inauguration of ItaliaT10 may be the catalyst to change opinions.