The Cricketer runs through all the details you need to know ahead of the second edition of the International League T20, which kicks off in mid-January
A 20-over franchise competition – called the International League T20, or ILT20 – held in the United Arab Emirates.
The second edition of the ILT20 will be held between January 19 and February 17.
The ILT20 is held in the United Arab Emirates, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah all hosting matches.
Six teams have been created for the ILT20: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, and Sharjah Warriors.
Many of the teams have links to IPL franchises, notably Abu Dhabi, MI Emirates, and Dubai Capitals.
The six teams will compete in a double round-robin format between January 19 and February 11, with two points available for a win and one point for a tie.
The top four teams will then move into the playoffs (February 13 – February 17), with the first and second-placed teams competing for direct entry to the final. The loser of that clash will face the winner of the eliminator (third versus fourth) for a spot in the trophy showdown.
In total, 34 matches will be played.
The ILT20 returns in mid-January (Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images)
The tournament overlaps with the similarly well-backed SA20, while also beginning before the Big Bash has come to an end. But with lucrative contracts on offer and a decent launch in 2023, the ILT20 has attracted an array of quality overseas players.
In recognition of the calibre of players involved, the competition has been given List A status, making it the first franchise T20 league run by an associate board to have that label attached.
Gulf Giants and Desert Vipers, the standout teams in 2023, have retained many of the players who took them to last year's final, which was won by James Vince's Giants.
Vince returns as captain, supported by plenty of batting firepower: Chris Lynn will arrive after BBL duty, while Shimron Hetmyer, Finn Allen, Gerhard Erasmus, Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton all on hand to provide fireworks. Carlos Brathwaite brings experience, as do English seamers Chris Jordan and Richard Gleeson.
They will have to overcome a strengthened Vipers squad if they are to retain their title. Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shaheen Shah Afridi constitute a terrific spine, with a supporting cast including Adam Hose, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Dinesh Chandimal, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran and Luke Wood.
Abu Dhabi have several Knight Rider regulars in the shape of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, while there is also a strong county cricket flavour to the lineup. David Willey, Jake Lintott, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Marchant de Lange, Michael Pepper, Ravi Bopara and Sam Hain are all enlisted, as is Scotland's Brandon McMullen.
Dubai Capitals also feature several Englishmen, though Joe Root and Mark Wood – both signed up – will miss out for England's Test series in India. But Rovman Powell and David Warner bring stardust, while Middlesex batter Max Holden is rewarded for his T20 Blast exploits; Sam Billings and Roelof van der Merwe are also involved.
Veteran Dwayne Bravo is a big name at MI Emirates, who also have Kieron Pollard in their ranks, along with former West Indies teammates Andre Fletcher, Akeal Hosein, Nicholas Pooran and Odean Smith. Trent Boult adds a quality left-arm option, and he is joined by ex-New Zealand international Corey Anderson. Dan Mousley and Will Smeed are uncapped English talents.
Scotland fast bowler Chris Sole and spinner Mark Watt are part of Sharjah Warriors' intake, which also includes Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams, World Cup star Dilshan Madushanka and Martin Guptill, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore will look to continue a profitable winter.
Moeen Ali represented Sharjah Warriors in 2023 (Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images)
ZEE hold the broadcast rights for the ILT20 on a long-term deal.
All 34 matches will be aired across the company's 10 linear channels, with coverage provided in more than 10 languages, including English, Hindi and Tamil, as well as on ZEE5.
In the UK, Zee TV can be accessed via channel 709 on Sky and channel 809 on Virgin Media. In 2023, every match was available via BT Sport (TV/online/app).
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