Two of the most respected umpires in cricket history Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar will spearhead this year’s ILT20 which gets underway at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Both Taufel and Dar will be the on-field umpires for the tournament opener between defending champions Gulf Giants and Sharjah Warriors which will start at 7pm Kabul time.

This match will be broadcast live on Ariana Television, with the pre-match program starting at 6pm.

Besides Taufel and Dar, the ILT20 Season 2 match official panel includes some of the most prominent umpires and match referees who are actively involved in all three international cricket formats.

South Africa’s Adrain Holdstock and Australia’s Rod Tucker – both from ICC Elite Panel, Sri Lanka’s Ruchira Palliyaguruge, England’s Martin Saggers, Australia’s Paul Wilson and Leslie Reifer of West Indies will be umpiring the 34-match tournament.

Roshan Mahanama, Steve Bernard and Taufel will be the match referees – Taufel will join the match referees panel after umpiring the opener.

The Gulf region’s biggest T20 extravaganza, that holds a distinction of being the second-highest watched T20 league around the world, promises yet another blockbuster Season between 19th January and 17th February, and the organizers have ensured the league is played under the watchful eyes of globally-acclaimed umpires.

While Australia’s Taufel was also part of the ILT20 Season 1 match official panel, Aleem Dar – record holder for most Tests and ODIs as on field umpire (145 and 231) makes his maiden ILT20 appearance.

Speaking ahead of the start of the much-anticipated tournament, Simon Taufel said: “I am very excited to return to the UAE for DP World ILT20’s Season 2. It was a great experience to lead the match officials panel last year and closely interact with some of the upcoming UAE ICC International Panel umpires.

“The DP World ILT20 is certainly a fine platform for young players. We are also incorporating two specialized TV umpires for the first time to improve accuracy and time efficiency – Paul Wilson from Australia and Leslie Reifer from West Indies.”

Aleem Dar also expressed his excitement at being part of this year’s tournament. He said: “I am eager and excited to be part of the DP World ILT20 which has emerged as one of the leading T20 leagues globally.

“The tournament provides a unique opportunity for players, particularly from the UAE to shine on an international stage and rub shoulders with some of the most reputed players in the world. I am delighted to be part of the match officials panel this year and look forward to a great season.”

The ILT20 Season 2 meanwhile features some of the greatest stars in the game including Australia’s World Cup hero David Warner, Andre Russell, David Willey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Alex Hales, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Jordan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Chris Woakes and Maheesh Theekshana.

More than 100 international and 25 UAE players will feature in the tournament.

The month-long League will be held in iconic venues in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai with the Final scheduled to be played on 17th February at the famed ‘Ring of Fire’ Dubai International Stadium.
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.