The inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 League, in 2023, will feature five teams – the Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves, and Cape Town Samp Army.

The tournament will be played entirely in Harare, between July 20 and July 29 (the date of the final), 2023.

Each team will have to select a minimum of 16 players, including at least six Zimbabweans. The six Zimbabweans will have to include one from the “emerging player” category, as picked by the nationwide talent hunt mission.

The five franchises have already picked their four marquee players. Of the 20, only one – Sikandar Raza of the Bulawayo Braves – is a Zimbabwean.

Indians seldom feature in franchise-based T20 or T10 leagues, but this time there will be two: Robin Uthappa, at the Harare Hurricanes; and Yusuf Pathan, at the Joburg Buffaloes.

The ICC-sanctioned Abu Dhabi T10 League, founded back in 2017, has been the most high-profile tournament of the format, but over the years, several other leagues have been launched around the world, including the Qatar T10 League and the 30-team European Cricket League.

Zim Afro T10 League 2023 squad: Full list of international players signed up in the pre-draft

Harare Hurricanes: Eoin Morgan (England), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan), Robin Uthappa (India)

Cape Town Samp Army: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Karim Janat (Afghanistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka)

Durban Qalandars: Asif Ali (Pakistan), Sisanda Magala (South Africa), George Linde (South Africa), Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan)

Joburg Buffaloes: Yusuf Pathan (India), Mushfiqur Rahman (Bangladesh), Tom Banton (England), Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan)

Bulawayo Braves: Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Ashton Turner (Australia), Tymal Mills (England), Ben McDermott (Australia)