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DUBAI - Defending champions American University of Sharjah (AUS) will take on Royal College of RAK in the inaugural match of 2010 MSG Pride Cup, organised under the aegis of the Sharjah Cricket Council, on Saturday at Maxway ground, near Sharjah Stone Factory, Sharjah at 9am.

Last year’s runners-up Manipal University will clash with Ajman University of Science and Technology on October 26 at 9am.

The tournament, which will feature Pan University teams, will be played on the T20 format with two matches being played everyday on a league-cum-knockout basis.

Thirteen universities, who have been clubbed into four pools, will vie for the title. Royal College of RAK, Middlesex University, Dubai, and American University of Sharjah constitute Pool A while American University of Dubai, Mahatma Gandhi University, and Preston University, Sharjah are in Pool B. Canadian University, Ajman University of Science and Technology and Manipal University are grouped in Pool C while London American City College (FZC) RAK, Skyline College, Emirates Aviation College and Heriott Watt University are placed in Pool D. Each of the teams in Pool A, B and C will play two matches each while Pool D will have three matches each during the league stages. Two top teams from each pool would then qualify for the knock-out quarter-final rounds, which commence on November 6 with the semi-finals slated for November 10. The final, most likely to be held either on November 12 or 13, will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Presently in its fourth edition, the tournament, which will be inaugurated by the Emirates Cricket Board Administrator and ACC executive member Mazhar Khan, has Middlesex University, Dubai as its winners in the first edition in 2007 followed by Preston University in 2008.

Fahad Tariq Raja of AUS was the player of the tournament last year.