
ILT20 Season 4 to commence on UAE National Day
The 34-match cricket tournament, featuring six teams, has been moved from its traditional January-February slot to a new window — from December 2 to January 4, 2026 — to avoid a clash with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled for February-March.
Chairman of the ILT20 and Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, Khalid Al Zarooni, says launching the league on National Day is a tribute to the UAE and its diverse cricket-loving population.
The DP World ILT20 has quickly become the Gulf region's biggest T20 league, attracting international stars like David Warner, Andre Russell, Sam Curran and Sunil Narine.
Season 3 ended in a dramatic final, with the Dubai Capitals claiming the title in a last-over thriller against the Desert Vipers at a packed Dubai International Stadium.
Organisers say Season 4 promises to be even bigger, with more global talent and strong fan engagement.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
India clarify reasons for Bumrah omission for series finale ICC World Test Championship
While India would have loved to have had Bumrah at their disposal for the series finale, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate suggested the long-term future of the No.1 ranked Test bowler was more important than any single Test match. "It's quite a complex issue around Bumrah," ten Doeschate said after India reached 204/6 at stumps after a rain-affected first day in London. "We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body's at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad. "He has bowled a large number of overs, I know it doesn't always seem like that because he's only played three Tests and he only bowled in one innings in Manchester. "But if you look at the loads, he's bowled a lot of overs, and like he did say coming into the tour, he was going to be available for three games, and we just felt it was right to honour that call." Jasprit Bumrah on his multiple ICC honours for an incredible 2024 | ICC Awards An elated Jasprit Bumrah speaks on the privilege of being honoured with multiple ICC awards for his incredible 2024 🤩 #ICCAwards The sight of seam-friendly conditions at The Oval would have made the decision even tougher to leave Bumrah out and ten Doeschate said there was no exact science to consider when choosing which matches the fast bowler would sit out across the five-game series. "Every time I've answered this question I've spoken about like putting the pieces of the puzzles together and guys were baffled when we didn't play him in the third Test, and our thinking yeah was that The Oval, yes it's got bounce but it's normally a fairly good wicket for batting on, and we thought we'd roll the dice and if we'd won the toss we would have bowled," he added. "In hindsight you would have loved to have him here, but you would also have said if we come here 3-1 down that we didn't use him there, so it's trying to not guess but trying to look into the future and then see how we can manage him, and maybe England have got it spot on leaving the best bowling wicket for the last Test after he's played three." India battled hard on the opening day of the fifth Test despite the absence of Bumrah among four changes to the side that drew the fourth Test of the series in Manchester, with batter Karun Nair showing some excellent composure to compile an unbeaten half-century on a day that saw England's quicks ask the visitors plenty of questions via some decent bowling. "Karun has been asked to do a tough job on the tour, start off at No.6 in the first Test and then batted at three for the other two Tests and I always said and we always thought that his tempo and his rhythm was very good," ten Doeschate noted. "He's a quality player, particularly for that reason that he can absorb the pressure. "I thought he summed up the conditions really well today and when someone comes back into the Test side like he does after a lengthy absence, the pressure is always there. "But I think he's handled that very off to Karun. "I think he's had a really good tour without blowing the lights out. But he's given himself a chance now tomorrow to to get a big meaningful score for the team." ICC World Test ChampionshipNewsICC World Test Championship, 2025/27


Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
ILT20 auction after Asia Cup chance for UAE players to shine
1 Aug 2025 00:29 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI )The DP World International League T20 (ILT20) is set to introduce a player auction after three years of private team building by the six participating franchises, and rings in feelings of hope and excitement, especially for players from UAE and Associate cricket countries. Speaking to Aletihad , an ILT20 official has said the auction could herald a significant shift in how teams will build their squads, especially as the September 30 auction will follow soon after the September 9-28 Asia Cup, which UAE is hosting as a neutral venue. The first ILT20 auction will allow the franchises to fill 78 squad spots – 13 per team – with a collective purse of $4.8 million. This marks the first time the ILT20 will move to an auction model, a transition that Mike Fordham, the league's Head of Cricket Operations, said was part of a long-term strategy. Similar to the Indian Premier League, teams were first given the choice to retain players of choice before putting names in the mix for all to bid and White, the DP World ILT20 Chief Executive Officer, said, 'The auction is a big milestone for the league as we continue to grow as a world-class T20 tournament. The auction will be a great opportunity for our franchises to add local and international firepower.' Echoing the view of White, the Head of Cricket Operations, Mike Fordham, spoke to Aletihad on the significance of the auction and the pivot in strategy. 'It was always intended we'd have a three-year cycle with the ILT20,' Fordham explained. 'Most players were initially on three-year contracts, so this was a natural time to try something different. We wanted to open up the league to new players and make it less of a closed shop, and we think an auction is the best way to do that.'Associate nations like the UAE and Hong Kong are part of the six-nation 2025 Asia Cup, which India was to host, while the ILT20 rules mandate a minimum of two UAE players and two more from Associate countries. That means ILT20 still needs seven international players in the squad and hence carries the most global year's edition begins early on December 2, coinciding with Eid Al Etihad, and ends on January 4, coinciding as always in a busy stretch on the cricketing calendar. The auction makes it more pertinent, said Fordham.'It's an exciting way for the teams to build their squads and gives fans something to follow closely. Depending on who registers, we could see some aggressive bidding, particularly for players who perform well in the Asia Cup, including those from the UAE,' he said. The player registration window for the auction has now opened and will close on September 10. For the UAE players, the Development Tournament, which feeds the ILT20 and begins this month, is another opportunity now besides the Asia Cup to strike notice of their talent.

Int'l Cricket Council
18 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Bumrah decision made as India name XI for final England Test ICC World Test Championship
India's chances of squaring their five-match Test series against England have taken a hit with star pacer Jasprit Bumrah left out of the final Test at The Oval. Bumrah completed his scheduled workload of playing in just three Tests across the ICC World Test Championship series during the recent contest in Manchester and the team have decided to take no risks with the star pacer for the London showdown. Jasprit Bumrah on winning the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award | ICC Awards 2024 Jasprit Bumrah revels in winning the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award | ICC Awards 2024 Prasidh Krishna replaces Bumrah in the India XI, while Dhruv Jurel comes in for Rishabh Pant, who was ruled out after fracturing his toe during the fourth Test. The visitors have been boosted by the return of Akash Deep, who missed the fourth Test due to a groin injury. He replaces Anshul Kamboj in the Playing XI. India have also strengthened their batting line-up, with Karun Nair returning in place of Shardul Thakur. India Playing XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna. The hosts announced their XI on the eve of the Test, with the headline being Ben Stokes' absence due to a right shoulder injury. With a short turnaround between matches, England also refreshed their bowling unit, bringing in Jamie Overton, Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson in place of Stokes, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer respectfully. England currently lead the five-match series 2-1, with both sides fighting tooth and nail – each Test going into the final day. The home team took a 1-0 lead with a record chase of 373 in Leeds, before India hit back with a dominant 336-run win in Edgbaston. At Lord's, a tight contest saw the hosts edge out India by 22 runs. Old Trafford ended in a hard-fought draw, setting up the series decider at The Oval. ICC World Test ChampionshipNewsICC World Test Championship, 2025/27