The Arabian Cricket Challenge, a Twenty20 format cricket tournament held in Dubai, will now be sponsored jointly by Emirates Airline, the official partner of International Cricket Council (ICC) and the title sponsor of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab, in an effort to extend its association with cricket.

As part of its association, some of the team members of Kings XI Punjab will fly via Emirates to Dubai to participate in the tournament. Kings XI Punjab is the team co-owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta.

The name of the event has now been changed to Emirates Airline Twenty20, in order to reflect the change in format after two years as a 50-over tournament. Furthermore, the event will also have a new home - The Sevens - Emirates' dedicated sporting facility, which is all ready to reveal cricket pitches and a pavilion in the New Year.

The players of Kings XI Punjab face a tough test, with England's Twenty20 Cup holders and NatWest Pro40 champions Sussex CCC leading the four-team event on 19th and 20th March.

There are also reports that claim that fellow England stars Mark Ramprakash and Steven Davies will also participate by playing for Surrey CCC. Meanwhile, the line-up is completed with a Fly Emirates XI consisting of experienced employees who juggle cricket with busy work schedules at the Emirates Group.

There would be worldwide broadcasting of the two days swashbuckling cricket, which will be backed by several other activities as part of a cricket carnival that the organizers expect will support the event in becoming an important part of the sporting and social calendar of Dubai.