Sussex and Surrey face IPL warm-up

Surrey and Sussex will face IPL opposition when they travel to Dubai in March 2010 to participate in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament.

The competition will give both teams the chance to prepare for the English county season in almost guaranteed good weather, and get some vital match practice under their belt ahead of their first round of fixtures on April 9.

The competition will take place on March 19 and 20 at The Sevens, Emirates' dedicated sporting facility. Competing alongside the two counties will be a Fly Emirates XI and, new for 2010, a young side representing the IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

Surrey Cricket's managing director, Gus Mackay, said: "After the success of last year's tournament we were very keen to take part in the new format, which will provide even more of a chance for us to get match experience ahead of the season.

"The addition of an IPL franchise is a hugely welcome development as it will give us an opportunity to test ourselves against an exciting team we would not normally encounter."