Former India cricketer and Royal Desert Champions Team Director Robin Singh says that succeeding in T10 cricket demands skill levels far beyond what even T20 requires — because players get no time to settle, no sighters, and no room for self-doubt. Singh made the remarks in New Delhi on 10 October, offering a rare insider view of what separates the 60-ball format from its longer counterpart.

T10 vs T20: A Different Beast Altogether

'T10 is almost like playing the last 10 overs of a T20 game to some extent, or in the power plays, for that matter,' Singh said. The analogy captures the relentless pressure baked into every delivery of the format — there is simply no phase of the innings where a batter can ease in.

'You have to take a lot more risks in T10. So your skill levels have to be very high. People who are confident in their skills are the ones who succeed. If you second-guess yourself, you'll be in trouble in T10,' he added. The observation is significant: while T20 cricket has already challenged classical technique, T10 effectively eliminates the middle overs that give T20 batters even a brief window to recalibrate.

Royal Desert Champions' Draft Strategy

Royal Desert Champions entered the player draft with pre-signings that included Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, and Sherfane Rutherford. During the draft itself, the franchise added Muhammad Waseem, Naseem Shah, and Maheesh Theekshana, among others — a mix of explosive batting and match-winning bowling that reflects the format's demands.

Singh assessed the outcome pragmatically. 'We got about 80% of what we wanted from the draft. Drafts are always a bit tricky — you don't really know who you'll get because it depends on the pick before you and how people build their squad,' he said. He noted that a contingency approach is essential: 'If you don't get X, you can try and get Y to compensate. So you build a team around those things.'

What It Takes to Win in T10

Singh was emphatic that squad balance and experience are non-negotiable in a format this compressed. 'You have to try and pick a well-balanced team. Most importantly, seasoned cricketers — people who can execute skills. It's a very fast format. It's very quick. You don't have any respite. There is no time to relax. There are no sighters when you go to play. There are no free deliveries when you go to play. So you need to be on the button,' he said.

The emphasis on seasoned players over raw talent is a telling detail. In a format where a single over can swing the match, the premium is on those who have already internalised their skills under pressure — not those still refining them.

The Broader Picture for Short-Format Cricket

T10 leagues have proliferated globally over the past several years, with tournaments in the UAE and the Caribbean drawing franchise investors and international stars alike. Yet the format remains a specialist's domain — not every T20 power-hitter translates seamlessly into a T10 finisher. Singh's remarks underline why: the cognitive and technical demands of going all-out from ball one are qualitatively different from peaking in the back-end of a T20 chase. As the format matures, the gap between squads built on strategy and those assembled on star power alone is likely to widen.