UAE international and middle-order batter Sohaib Khan also joins the squad. The fourth edition of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament will give Adani Sportsline-owned Gulf Giants Head Coach Simon Helmot his first opportunity to assess the franchise’s emerging talent, with the ILT20 auction less than three weeks away on 1 October.
The Giants enter the tournament with returning players including Haider Razzaq and Aayan Afzal Khan , alongside Sagar Kalyan and Tanish Suri , two of last year’s leading run-scorers in the Development Tournament.
“I’m really looking forward to getting started. “The first thing is to get to know the players, see how they go about their cricket and understand where we can help them improve. At the same time, we have to start thinking about what our squad could look like as we head into the auction. The tournament will also provide a platform for emerging players to make their case. “You never quite know who is going to put their hand up in a tournament like this. A player can have a really strong few weeks and suddenly find themselves in the conversation for the next level. For us, it’s about giving those players an opportunity and seeing who is ready to take it. With the auction approaching, Helmot will also be watching performances across the tournament, not just within the Giants’ camp.
This is my first assignment with Gulf Giants, so it’s an important few weeks for me as well,” said Simon Helmot, Head Coach, Gulf Giants. “There is some really exciting talent coming through, and that’s one of the things I’m most excited about,” Helmot said. “We’ll certainly be watching our own players closely, but we’ll also be keeping an eye on the wider tournament,” he said. “There will be players in the other teams who catch your attention, and that’s part of what makes this tournament so important.”
