UAE fast bowler Mohammad Rohid has had good words to say about the DP World ILT20 and how it will bring a real opportunity to the top-tier game for aspiring cricketers.
Rohid’s career got a major boost when he was acquired by MI Emirates at the first-ever player auction in the league for $140,000. The deal saw the exciting left-arm pacer emerge as the 5th highest bidder at the auction and underlined the need for young UAE cricketers.
But the pay-off was not the only thing. Rohid thinks that the best thing that the tournament has done is to establish a clear pathway between domestic and franchise and international opportunities. Young players in UAE are now able to see their own players playing against international players and think that they can reach the same stage.
It was punctuated by a sensational performance in the DP World ILT20 Season Four Qualifier Two. Rohid is said to have discovered that he was playing for just 10 minutes prior to the toss, but he did not seem panic-stricken. He had a superb match of 2-19 and took to himself the prized wickets of Brandon McMullen and England’s pace bowler Liam Livingstone.
That was the stressful moment that showed the world how much MI Emirates had invested in him.
Rohid, who has been playing in the first team, also attributes his quick growth to the presence of internationals Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Shakib Al-Hasan, Romario Shepherd, and Fazalhaq Farooqi in the dressing room. He learned to be more confident and tactically aware by watching them get ready, their intensity, and their calmness.
The pacer’s improvement has also enabled him to be a part of the UAE national squad. Rohid has appeared in three ODIs and 17 T20Is since his international debut and made his World Cup debut against New Zealand at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Now Rohid would like to be a bowler his captain can rely on, both with the new ball and in the high-pressure death overs. The upcoming season of DP World ILT20 in November/December 2026 will be a period where he will prove himself worthy of MI Emirates’ trust and further solidify his reputation as one of UAE cricket’s promising young talents.
