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ILT20 2024: All you need to know
The much-awaited cash-rich International League T20 (ILT20) gets underway on Friday in the United Arab Emirates and will run through to February 17.
Matches, 34 in total, will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
There are six teams and many have links to IPL teams. The teams are Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, and Sharjah Warriors.
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.
This year’s tournament overlaps with two other leagues, namely Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) and South Africa’s SA20. However, with lucrative contracts on offer, the ILT20 has attracted a strong array of quality foreign players.
The squads are as follows:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Ali Khan, Andre Russell, Brandon McMullen, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Jake Lintott, Joe Clarke, Josh Little, Laurie Evans, Marchant de Lange, Matiullah Khan, Michael Pepper, Ravi Bopara, Sabir Ali, Sam Hain, Sunil Narine, Imad Wasim
Desert Vipers
Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Colin Munro, Dinesh Chandimal, Gus Atkinson, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Michael Jones, Rohan Mustafa, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sheldon Cottrell, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nathan Sowter, Dan Lawrence
Dubai Capitals
Andrew Tye, Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Max Holden, Mohammad Mohsin, Nuwan Thushara, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Raja Akif, Roman Powell, Roelof van der Merwe, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza
Gulf Giants
Aayan Afzal Khan, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Dominic Drakes, Gerhard Erasmus, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Karim Janat, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Sanchit Sharma, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shimon Hetmyer
MI Emirates
Akeal Hosein, Ambati Rayudu, Andre Fletcher, Corey Anderson, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, McKenny Clarke, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran (c), Nosthush Kenjige, Odean Smith, Trent Boult, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Waqar Salamkheil, Will Smeed, Zahoor Khan
Sharjah Warriors
Chris Sole, Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams, Dilshan Madushanka, James Fuller, Joe Denly, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Kusal Mendis, Lewis Gregory, Mahesh Theekshana, Mark Deyal, Mark Watt, Martin Guptill, Muhammad Jawadullah, Qais Ahmad, Sean Williams, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Match schedule
Ariana Television Network has once again secured live and exclusive rights to broadcast this exciting tournament in Afghanistan.
Friday’s opening match will start at 7pm Kabul time, but tune in live on Ariana Television from 6pm for the pre-match program.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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