Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 18 (ANI): Bangla Tigers on Monday named former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin as the brand ambassador for the franchise for the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Azharuddin will link up with the squad ahead of the tournament and play a part in motivating the players.

The tournament is scheduled to be held at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from November 19 and is being staged under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), with official approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Azharuddin's addition follows a star-studded line-up that was drafted earlier in the month by the franchise. The squad now features prominent Pakistan cricketers like Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Amir. In addition, the franchise had earlier named former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis as the icon player.

The franchise had also announced the retentions of West Indies' dashing pair of Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles, Sri Lanka's terrific new-ball bowler Isuru Udana and Afghanistan's mystery spinner Qais Ahmed.

The franchise's coaching staff will be led by former Australia batsman Stuart Law with former England wicket-keeper batsman Paul Nixon as the new batting coach, whereas one of the game's fastest bowlers, Shaun Tait of Australia will be the bowling coach. Du Plessis will be leading the side in the tournament.

"It is terrific to be associated with an exciting franchise like Bangla Tigers. We have some exciting players in the line-up, who I am sure are keen to stamp their authority on the tournament. I am thankful to Yasin Bhai (Bangla Tigers owner Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury) for thinking about me and scripting this association. I am looking forward to meeting up and working with everyone," said Azharuddin.

Azharuddin's addition to the squad is therefore an excellent opportunity for the players to learn from a legend who led India right through the 1990s. He was one of the most successful Indian captains ever who featured in 99 Tests and 334 ODIs and scored 6,215 runs in Test cricket and 9,378 ODI runs.

Abdul Latif Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Bangla Tigers also said, "We have achieved what we had set out. We drafted the best players we had earmarked after having secured a top icon player in Faf (du Plessis) and top-notch coaching staff. Azharuddin's association will further enhance the profile of our franchise."Bangla Tigers full squad: Faf du Plessis (Icon), Shahid Afridi (A1), Mohammed Amir (A2), James Faulkner (A3), Benny Howell (A4), Johnson Charles (B1), Hazrat Zazai (B2), Will George Jack (B3), Andre Fletcher (C1), Qais Ahmed (C2), Isuru Udana (C3), Hassan Khalid (Round UAE 1), Sabir Rao (Round UAE 2), Matheesha Pathirana (Round ET1), William Smeed (Round ET2), Adam Lyth (Round OP1), Mohammad Saifuddin (Round OP2). (ANI)