As the  Qatar Volleyball League starts on Wednesday, it is difficult to envision a champion beyond traditional powerhouses Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, who have together won 33 of the 36 editions so far.
Arabi have won the Qatar League a record 24 times while Rayyan are nine-time champions, with the last three coming in a row.
Ever since Qatar SC triumphed in 2005, the league title has always stayed with either of the two arch-rivals.
Al Ahli and El Jaish moved close to usurping their dominance, but came a cropper when it mattered the most.
Jaish have sounded an early warning to rivals by winning the season-opening Association Cup. But how much inspiration they can draw from a tournament which most of the national players skipped remains to be seen.
That Rayyan and Arabi contribute the lion’s share to the national team puts things into perspective.
Unlike the cup tournaments where each team is allowed to field two professionals, the league will have only one on the court.
Arabi have boosted their arsenal by roping in former Cuban skipper and outside hitter Osmel Camejo. Rayyan spared no time in signing Kenyan Philip Maiyo, who incidentally was the architect of Arabi’s four cup triumphs last year.
The battle between Camejo and Maiyo will largely decide as to who wins the 37th edition of the competition.
The other sub-plot pits local players, Arabi’s Ibrahim Saeed against Rayyan’s Mubarak Dahi Waleed.
“We’ve not won the league for three years and this time, we’ll go all out to seal it,” said Arabi skipper Ali Omar.
Arabi take on Qatar SC in the lung opener on Wednesday and their marquee clash against Rayyan is slated for January 29 which will bring curtains to the first phase.
Rayyan, who won 18 of their 20 games last year, begin their title defence against Qatar SC, on December 2.
“The level of the teams is much higher than last year. It’ll really be difficult to predict anything about the outcome so early. However, we’re determined to defend the title,” said Rayyan skipper Osman Ajab.
Jaish, who finished third last year and beat Arabi in the Association Cup final, will be the most likely team to challenge the favourites. They will be banking on veteran Christian Pampel while Stevanovic brothers — setter Milos and libero Marcos — will also hold key to their fortunes.
Barring the odd surprises, nothing much can be expected from the other sides.
Unlike the top three, the others are still racing against time to finalise the team composition.
So it’s advantage Rayyan and Arabi.
* Doha Stadium Plus