TOP-CLASS cricket is to return to the local scene on Tuesday with the inaugural playing of the Dream 11 Jamaica T10 Blast which bowls off at 11:00 am at Sabina Park in Kingston.

The competition, which will feature the country’s top players, is hosted by the Jamaica Cricket Association and sponsored by the Indian fantasy sports platform Dream 11. It will be broadcast live into millions of homes in India and the Asian subcontinent.

The Dream 11 Blast will be contested by 6 local teams — Middlesex Titans, Surrey Kings, Cornwall Warriors, Surrey Royals, Surrey Risers and Middlesex United Stars.

Teams will play each other twice over a 19-day period, with two matches daily before culminating in a grand finale featuring the top 2 teams.

The George Headley Stand will be open to all spectators to enjoy the sumptuous, ball-by-ball action.

“We are extremely happy to have cricket back in Jamaica after a two-year absence and what a way to bowl off than with an international competition and our best players in action!” said Wilford “Billy” Heaven, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president.

“The fact that the players will get an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the massive Indian audience is an added bonus, and we look forward to an exciting contest,” he added.

The Dream 11 T10 Blast has been played in a number of Caribbean islands, including Grenada and most recently Trinidad and Tobago, where the Steelpan Strikers emerged as the champions.

According to Courtney Francis, JCA chief executive officer and chairman of the Dream T10 Blast organising committee, the tournament has the potential to showcase emerging players.

“The Dream 11 Blast T10 Tournament will create the platform to widen the exposure of the talent pool of our cricketers globally. This opportunity will offer cricketers and administrators another avenue outside of our traditional means to enhance our output to a wider audience,” he said.

“I am hopeful we all can impress the sponsors to create [and] multiply other such stagings in Jamaica. Cricket is better for it — especially at this restart stage,” Francis continued.

Middlesex Titans will clash with Surrey Royals in the opening encounter at 11:00 am, while Cornwall Warriors meet Middlesex United Stars at 1:00 pm.

The tournament will be preceded by a press conference at Sabina Park starting at 9:00 am.