International League T20

Cricket tournament

International League T20

Countries| United Arab Emirates
Administrator| Emirates Cricket Board
Format| Twenty20
First edition| 2023
Next edition| 2024
Tournament format| Round-robin and playoffs
Number of teams| 6
Current champion| Gulf Giants
Most successful| Gulf Giants (1st title)
Most runs| Alex Hales (469)
Most wickets| Chris Jordan (20)
2024 International League T20
Website| ilt20uae.com

The International League T20 (ILT20) (also endorsed as the DP World ILT20 for sponsorship reasons) is a T20 cricket tournament being played in the United Arab Emirates. It is sanctioned by Emirates Cricket Board.[1][2]

The first edition of the tournament was originally scheduled to take place during January and February 2023, but it was rescheduled to take place from January 2024, with six teams competing.[3] In June 2022, the league was formally named the International League T20, with the dates for the first season also being confirmed.[4]

Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated a performance for the first 2023 edition of ILT20.

Matches in Season 1 were played using standard Twenty20 formats, statistics were not included in official records because Emirates Cricket Board is not a full-member of the International Cricket Council.

ILT20 becomes first Associate-run franchise league to get 'official' List-A status in December 2023.[5]

## Overview[edit]

The International League T20 (ILT20) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in the United Arab Emirates. The league was founded in 2022 and is sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The inaugural season of the ILT20 took place from January 13 to February 12, 2023, with six teams competing. The teams were: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders , Dubai Capitals, Desert Vipers , Gulf Giants , MI Emirates , Sharjah Warriors

The ILT20 is played in a double round-robin format, with each team playing each other team twice. The top four teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of a semi-final, a third-place play-off, and a final.

The first ILT20 season was won by the Gulf Giants, who defeated Desert Vipers in the final. The tournament was a success, with good crowds and positive feedback from players and fans. The ILT20 is expected to become a major cricket league in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East. The league has a number of rules designed to help young players develop, such as a requirement that each team must have at least two players under the age of 23.

Franchises owners as Knight Riders Group, Reliance Industries, GMR Group along with Lancer Capitals, Adani Group and Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd were announced as owners of the teams.[6][7] Three original IPL franchises owners (i.e. the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals) also got the chance to sign up to four players from their current IPL squads.[8]

## Background[edit]

The UAE-based ILT20, one of the major franchise-run T20 leagues around the world despite being just a season old because of the quality of players it has attracted, has been given List A status by the ICC just over a month off the start of its second season. It's the first T20 league run by the board of an Associate nation to be given the status.[5]

What it means is that the tournament will now be recognised as an official T20 tournament, with all tournament statistics given official status. In a statement, the ILT20 called the update "a major milestone" and a "major boost".

"Earning the List A status is a major milestone for the DP World International League T20. We would like to thank the ICC for the acknowledgment," David White, chief executive of the league, said. "The recognition is a clear indication of the strength and stature of our league."

The second edition of the tournament will kick off on January 19 and end on February 17.[9][10]

The upcoming second season of the International League T20 (ILT20) is about to start, and there are some exciting new changes in the playing rules, namely the introduction of the Super Sub and the Wildcard entry. These rule changes aim to make the tournament more thrilling for teams and enhance their squads.

David White, the ILT20 CEO, expressed his enthusiasm about these changes. He said, “We are excited to introduce the Super-Sub and Wildcard in the DP World ILT20 Season 2. The Wildcard will help the teams further strengthen their squads in the lead-up and during the season while the Super-Sub provides the teams the tactical option of replacing a player during a match. The DP World ILT20 saw some thrilling on-field action in Season 1, season 2 features are set to make the tournament even more interesting and engaging for both the spectators at the stadiums and viewers from around the world.”

Let's understand what the Super Sub rule entails. Each team can now substitute one player at any point in the match, but this substitution must occur only after the first over of the innings. If requested, the Super Sub can be brought in at the start of the second innings. However, once substituted, a player cannot return to the game.

Here's how the Super Sub process works: The Head Coach informs the fourth umpire, and then the on-field umpires signal the scorers by crossing their wrists above their head, indicating the introduction of a Super Sub. The Super Sub can join after an over is completed or, if the player is a batter, they can enter when a wicket falls or when a batter retires during the over. For the bowling team, they can use a Super Sub when a wicket falls, but if it happens mid-over, the Super Sub cannot bowl the remaining balls in that over.

Now, let's delve into the Wildcard rule! Each team has the option to add two players to their roster, going beyond the permitted limit of 22 players. However, if a team has already spent the maximum of $2.5 million, they can only spend a maximum of 10% of the salary cap, which is $250,000.

If a team hasn't reached the maximum salary spend of $2.5 million, they can use the remaining amount. Additionally, they can spend an extra $250,000 if needed, but they must remain within the Wildcard player spend limit.

The Wildcard players can join the tournament at any stage, but they cannot be replaced by any other replacement or Wildcard players once they've been included.

These new rules aim to add excitement and strategic elements to the tournament, offering teams more flexibility in managing their squads throughout the season.[11]

## Teams[edit]

The following teams and their owners were announced as taking part in the tournament:[12]

Dubai

Sharjah

Abu Dhabi

Team  | City  | Home ground  | Founded  | Captain  | Coach  | Owner

|
|
|
|
|
|

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Abu Dhabi | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium | 2023  | Sunil Narine | Bharat Arun | Knight Riders Group
Desert Vipers | Dubai | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | 2023  | Colin Munro | James Foster | Avram Glazer
Dubai Capitals | Dubai | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | 2023  | David Warner | Phil Simmons | GMR Group
Gulf Giants | Dubai | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | 2023  | James Vince | Andy Flower | Adani Sportsline Pvt.Ltd
MI Emirates | Abu Dhabi | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium | 2023  | Nicholas Pooran | Robin Singh | Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd
Sharjah Warriors | Sharjah | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | 2023  | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Paul Farbrace | Capri Global Holdings Pvt. Ltd

## Tournament results[edit]

Season  | Final venue  | Winners  | Result  | Runners-up  | No. of teams  | Player of the series

|
|
|
|
|
|

2023 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Gulf Giants
149/3 (18.4 overs) | Gulf Giants won by 7 wickets Scorecard | Desert Vipers
146/8 (20 overs) | 6  | Chris Jordan (Gulf Giants)
2024 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai |  |  |  | 6  |

## Teams' performances[edit]

Season  | 2023 | 2024

|
|

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 6th  |
Dubai Capitals | SF  |
Desert Vipers | RU  |
Gulf Giants | C  |
MI Emirates | SF  |
Sharjah Warriors | 5th  |

* C: champions
* RU: runner-up
* SF or PO: team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition

## Ground[edit]

United Arab Emirates

Dubai | Sharjah | Abu Dhabi
Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
Capacity: 25,000  | Capacity: 16,000  | Capacity: 20,000
|  |

Dubai

Sharjah

Abu Dhabi

## Rules[edit]

The ILT20 has a number of rules which vary from the established Laws of cricket or those used in other Twenty20 leagues:

* Nine out of eleven players on each team can be overseas players,[13] which will be significantly higher than the four or five overseas-player-limit of other major T20 leagues.[14] Two players on each team must be a UAE player and a player from an Associate Member nation respectively.[13]

* Teams can use a substitute, termed an "Super Sub", from a list of Seven players named as possible substitutes. The substitution can be made before the start of innings, when a wicket falls, when a batter retires, or at the end of an over. Both teams can introduce a substitute once per match.

## Reactions[edit]

There has been some controversy around the ILT20's plan to only require one local (UAE) player in the playing XI of each team, with several Full Members calling for regulations requiring a higher minimum number of local players in the ILT20 and other T20 leagues.[15] 108 million people tuned in from across India even though attendance was low.[16] Attendance was low due to lack of participation of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani cricketers.[17]

## Broadcasters[edit]

In May 2021, Essel Group owned Zee Entertainment Enterprises bought the media rights of this league for ten years from 2023 to 2032 a cost of US$120 million.[18][19]

International Broadcasters:[20]

Territory/Region  | Channel

|

India  | Zee Cinema, Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Zest, Zee Thirai, Zee Bangla Cinema, & Pictures HD, Flix and Sony Sports Network 2025-32 (merger with ZEE), Zee5 - Live Streaming
Pakistan  | PTV Sports and Geo Super
Afghanistan  | Ariana TV
Sri Lanka  | Supreme TV
UK  | BT Sport and Zee TV
MENA  | CricLife 3
USA and Canada  | Willow TV
Bangladesh  | Gazi TV, T Sports, Toffee[21]
Australia  | Fox Cricket
New Zealand  | Sky Sports NZ
Nepal  | Sim TV Nepal, Net TV Nepal
Caribbean  | Flow Sports
Maldives  | Medianet

## References[edit]

1. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "KKR, Mumbai Indians set to become franchise owners in UAE-based Premier League T20". ESPN Cricinfo.
2. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "UAE'S PREMIER LEAGUE T20 SETS DATES AND UNVEILS TOURNAMENT LOGO". Emirates Cricket Board.
3. ^ "Flush With Cash And Influential Backing, The UAE's New T20 League Is Set To Shake Up Cricket Globally". Forbes.
4. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "UAE T20 league announces early-2023 window, set for clash of dates with BBL, BPL and CSA league". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
5. ^ a b SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "ILT20 becomes first Associate-run franchise league to get 'official' List-A status". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
6. ^ "Shah Rukh Khan Leads Acquisition of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Cricket Franchise". Variety. 12 May 2022.
7. ^ "Manchester United co-chairman Avram Glazer buys franchise in new UAE T20 cricket league". Sky Sports.
8. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "IPL franchises to have first right to sign their players in UAE T20 league". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
9. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "DP World ILT20 Season 2 to be played between 19 January to 18 February 2024". ilt20.ae. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
10. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "Gulf Giants, Sharjah Warriors to play ILT20 opener on January 19". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
11. ^ "Wild Cards and Super Subs introduced for the second season of the ILT20".
12. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan. "Knight Riders Group acquires Abu Dhabi franchise in upcoming UAE T20 League". ESPNCricinfo.
13. ^ a b "UAE T20 league sets $450,000 contract for top players". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
14. ^ Laghate, Gaurav. "ZEE signs exclusive media rights deal for Emirates Cricket Board's UAE T20 League". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
15. ^ "Full Members concerned over idea of nine overseas players per XI in UAE league". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
16. ^ "ILT20 Achieves New Milestone: Clocks over 10-crore reach and 2.8 billion minutes across ZEE's 10 linear channels in the first 9 LIVE matches". Zee Business. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
17. ^ Priya (19 January 2023). "Participants in ILT20 are positive about the league". SportsUnfold. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
18. ^ Pinto, Viveat Susan (24 May 2022). "Zee re-enters sports broadcasting, picks up media rights for UAE T20 League". Business Standard India. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
19. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan (24 May 2022). "Zee bags media rights for UAE T20 league globally". Business Line. The Hindu. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
20. ^ SAGAR Singh Chauhan (13 January 2023). "ILT20 Broadcasting Channels and Live Streaming Details 2023". Retrieved 13 January 2023.
21. ^ "Toffee exclusively livestreaming International League T20".

## External links[edit]

* International League T20 Details

* v
* t
* e

Twenty20 cricket leagues

Current|

| Asia|

* Afghanistan Premier League (Afghanistan)
* Shpageeza Cricket League (Afghanistan)
* Bangladesh Premier League (Bangladesh)
* Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (India)
* Indian Premier League (India)
* Women's Senior T20 Trophy (India)
* Women's Premier League (India)
* Everest Premier League (Nepal)
* Nepal T20 League (Nepal)
* National T20 Cup (Pakistan)
* Pakistan Super League (Pakistan)
* PCB Women's Twenty20 Tournament (Pakistan)
* Lanka Premier League (Sri Lanka)
* International League T20 (UAE)

|

Oceania|

* Big Bash League (Australia)
* Women's Big Bash League (Australia)
* Super Smash (men's) (New Zealand)
* Super Smash (women's) (New Zealand)

Europe|

* T20 Blast (England and Wales)
* Charlotte Edwards Cup (England and Wales)
* Women's Twenty20 Cup (England and Wales)
* Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup (Ireland)
* Women's Super Series (Ireland)
* Dutch Twenty20 Cup (Netherlands)
* Murgitroyd Twenty20 (Scotland)
* Regional Pro Series (Scotland)

Africa|

* CSA Provincial Twenty20 (South Africa)
* Women's T20 Super League (South Africa)
* SA20 (South Africa)
* Stanbic Bank 20 Series (Zimbabwe)

Americas|

* Caribbean Premier League (West Indies)
* Twenty20 Blaze (West Indies)
* Women's Caribbean Premier League (West Indies)
* Global T20 Canada (Canada)
* Major League Cricket (United States)
* Minor League Cricket (United States)

Defunct|

| International|

* Champions League Twenty20 (International)
* Stanford Super Series (West Indies/England)
* Cricket All-Stars (International)
* International 20:20 Club Championship (International)

|

Asia|

* Etisalat Sixes T20 Tournament (Afghanistan)
* National Cricket League (Bangladesh)
* Victory Day T20 Cup (Bangladesh)
* Indian Cricket League (India)
* Women's T20 Challenge (India)
* Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup (Pakistan)
* Pakistan Junior League (Pakistan)
* Hong Kong T20 Blitz (Hong Kong)
* Ramadan T20 Cup (Pakistan)
* Sri Lanka Premier League (Sri Lanka)
* SLC Twenty20 Tournament (Sri Lanka)
* Super T20 Provincial Tournament (Sri Lanka)
* Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy (United Arab Emirates)
* Masters Champions League (United Arab Emirates)

Oceania|

* Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup (Australia)
* KFC Twenty20 Big Bash (Australia)

Europe|

* Euro T20 Slam (Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland)
* Women's Cricket Super League (England)
* North Sea Pro20 (Scotland/Netherlands)

Africa|

* Mzansi Super League (South Africa)
* Africa T20 Cup (South Africa)
* East Africa Premier League (Kenya & Uganda)

Americas|

* CIBC National Cricket League (Canada)
* American Premiere League (United States)
* American Twenty20 Championship (United States)
* Pro Cricket (United States)
* Caribbean Twenty20 (West Indies)
* Stanford 20/20 (West Indies)

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