The Ibn Ajayan Challengers Trophy T20 Cricket tournament will begin today at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium in Industrial Area, Doha, organiers of the event said yesterday.
Organised by the Ibin Ajyan Projects, one of the leading facility management companies in Qatar, and QPLAYS, the event is managed by Qbiz Events.
Ibn Ajayan Trophy is part of a cricket tournament held every year.
Ibn Ajayan Projects have been pioneers in promoting and popularising cricket in Qatar, organising many tournaments over the last few years, with the game widely followed by the Asian expats.
The vision of Ibn Ajayan Projects is to develop a cricket culture in Qatar and holding these kind of tournaments will go a long way in expanding the game in the country. The championship will be held over a period of three months, with matches being held on Saturday's, Monday's and Wednesday's from 7:30pm. The final will take place in the second week of February.
The tournament will be inaugurated today, followed by the opening match between Vodafone and Shark XI.
A total of 16 teams have confirmed their participation, with four teams divided into four groups each. The winner takes home QR 15,000 while the runners-up is richer by QR10,000.
Group A comprises of CBQ-Blue, United Challengers, Masters CC, Friends XI, while Vodafone, Pak Falcons, Kansai Paints, Shark XI complete Group B.
In Group C, the teams are Pakistan Cricket Academy (PCA), Regal Strikers, The Gladiators, Al Hamra CC and in Group D the teams consist of Al Noof CC, Centurian CC, Qatar Foundation, Lankan CC.
The matches will be played on league-cum-knockout format, with top two teams from each group, after preliminary round, qualifying for the quarterfinals.
The championship will played as per Qatar Cricket Association's tournament rules and regulations. The tournament coordinator is Riyaz Cheeroth, while Mohammed Naseem is the technical coordinator.
Teams
Group A: CBQ-Blue, United Challengers, Masters CC, Friends XI.
Group B: Vodafone, Pak Falcons, Kansai Paints, Shark XI
Group C: Pakistan Cricket Academy (PCA), Regal Strikers, The Gladiators, Al Hamra CC
Group D: Al Noof CC, Centurian CC, Qatar Foundation, Lankan CC.
