ILT20: Joe Root and Robin Uthappa will be important for Dubai Capitals, says coach Phil Simmons

A
total
of
six
franchises,
which
include
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders,
Desert
Vipers,
Dubai
Capitals,
Gulf
Giants,
MI
Emirates,
and
Sharjah
Warriors,
will
battle
it
out
in
the
month-long
tournament
in
the
UAE.

Ahead
of
their
opening
game
against
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders,
the
Dubai
Capitals
Head
Coach
Phil
Simmons
expressed,

“It’s
very
exciting
to
be
a
part
of
the
Dubai
Capitals
and
to
be
a
part
of
a
new
league
in
the
UAE.
Our
team
is
exceptionally
well-balanced.
We
have
a
backup
for
each
of
the
players,
who
will
be
a
part
of
the
first
eleven.”

The
Dubai
Capitals
have
two
superstar
players
–
Joe
Root
and
Robin
Uthappa
in
their
squad
for
the
tournament.

When
asked
about
their
impact
in
the
Dubai
Capitals
camp,
Simmons
said,

“You
can’t
put
a
price
on
experience.
These
two
would
have
seen
every
situation
possible
in
cricket
during
their
careers.
They
will
know
how
to
manoeuvre
the
team
in
difficult
situations
during
the
tournament.
They
are
both
World
Cup
winners
and
that
is
a
huge
plus
for
us.”

The
Head
Coach
also
expressed
that
he
likes
the
Dubai
Capitals
Captain
Rovman
Powell’s
demeanour
on
the
field,

“Rovman
won
two
tournaments
as
Captain
last
year,
first
in
the
Caribbean
Premier
League
and
then
in
the
Super50
Cup.
So
you
know
that
he
is
a
winner
and
that’s
one
of
his
top
attributes
of
him
being
Captain.
He
is
a
calm
person
and
I
like
his
demeanour
on
the
field.”

Apart
from
the
global
stars,
there
are
four
talented
UAE
players
in
the
Dubai
Capitals
squad.
Two
quick
bowlers
Hazrat
Luqman
&
Raja
Akifullah
Khan
are
there,
who
have
good
skills
and
a
young
left-arm
spinner
Jash
Giyanani
also
is
a
talented
player.
And
the
other
UAE
player
is
Chirag
Suri,
who
is
an
exciting
top-order
batter.

The
Dubai
Capitals
will
go
up
against
Abu
Dhabi
Knight
Riders
at
the
Dubai
International
Cricket
Stadium
in
the
opening
match
of
the
tournament
on
13
January
2023.