{
  "id": 9091742,
  "title": "KS Bharat ready for new chapter with UAE after calling time on India",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/ks-bharat-ready-for-new-chapter-with-uae-after-calling-time-on-india",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-22T05:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2026/09/22/ks-bharat-ready-for-new-chapter-with-uae-after-calling-time-on-india/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Indian cricketer KS Bharat is set to embark on a new career path with the UAE national team. The wicketkeeper-batter, who played seven Tests for India including the 2023 World Test Championship final, announced his retirement from international cricket in June. Following his retirement, Bharat moved to Dubai and has confirmed his intention to represent the UAE in international cricket. He shared his excitement about the opportunity to play in the International League T20 Development Tournament, which serves as a pathway for players to represent the UAE at the main ILT20 league starting in November. Bharat expressed his desire to make a significant impact on the game in the UAE and wants to compete in the top leagues around the world. His move comes with the understanding that he is allowed to switch national teams once in a career, provided he meets the criteria under ICC regulations. Bharat emphasized that his decision to leave India was driven by his desire to prove himself in white-ball cricket and to play in the ILT20 league. He highlighted that although red-ball cricket is important, he wants to make a significant contribution in the white-ball format. Bharat is eager to join one of the six franchises in the ILT20 tournament, where he will compete against some of the top players in the world. Despite the hard decision to move away from India, Bharat is grateful for the opportunity to play at the highest level and looks forward to showcasing his skills in the new chapter of his career with the UAE.",
  "summary": "KS Bharat says he is targeting trophies with the UAE after switching allegiance from India. The wicketkeeper-batter played seven Test matches for India, including the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at the Oval. In June, he announced his retirement from international cricket, and it emerged he had moved to Dubai to live. It was unclear at that stage whether he was targeting a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "KS Bharat ready for new chapter with UAE after calling time on India",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/ks-bharat-ready-for-new-chapter-with-uae-after-calling-time-on-india-9093109",
        "published": "2026-09-22T05:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}