Cape Town - The Titans will be heading to the United Arab Emirates for a duel in the desert in the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 Tournament, taking place from October 4-6.

For the first time in the Emirates, six domestic T20 teams from around the world will compete for the coveted title of an international T20 championship.

The tournament will be played over three days and several matches, at the state-of-the-art Zayed Cricket Stadium. 

The teams joining the Titans are Australia's Hobart Hurricanes, England's Yorkshire Vikings, Afghanistan's Boost Defenders, Pakistan's Lahore Qalandars, with the sixth and final team yet to be announced. 

The tournament will feature some of the world's best T20 players, with the Boost Defenders having recruited T20 superstar Chris Gayle.

Hobart Hurricanes will call on the bowling services of England's Tymal 'T' Mills, Gary Ballance will figure for Yorkshire Vikings, Yasir Shah will line up for Lahara Qalandars, and the Titans, meanwhile, will be led by all-round powerhouse Albie Morkel. 

Speaking about the Titans' involvement, Titans Cricket CEO, Dr Jacques Faul said: "It is very exciting for us, as the Titans, to be involved in the Abu Dhabi T20 competition. Having dominated our domestic T20 for the last few seasons, it is fantastic to have an international gauge to assess where we are at as a franchise. 

"There has been a vacuum in this regard, ever since the Champions League tournament fell away. We are honoured to have been recognised as an ideal franchise to play in the inaugural event for what we hope will be an annual gathering."

"When you look at the calibre of teams from around the world, it is shaping up to be a fantastic event to be a part of. The Abu Dhabi region has certainly ramped up its cricketing landscape, and it is important to us as a franchise to take the Titans brand around the world," he said.

"On a personal note, we have a great relationship with Yorkshire, with one of our longest serving stars, Jacques Rudolph, having enjoyed a wonderful career there, by mutual agreement. As the cricketing world gets ever smaller, we are very keen to cultivate similar relationships with the franchises that we will be competing with in Abu Dhabi," added Faul.

The international tournament, starting on Thursday, October 4, will be broadcast live through various channels, as the teams compete in a round-robin stage, with the top two meeting in the final on Sunday, October 6.

Each day, around 20 000 spectators are expected to support the visiting teams at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.