ILT20: Dubai Capitals to face Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Opening Clash

The lavish stadiums of UAE are set, and players are geared up as the much-awaited ILT20 is all set to kickstart on January 13, 2023, in Dubai. The tournament will begin with Dubai Capitals locking horns with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the opening clash on the grounds of Dubai. On the other hand, the MI Emirates & Sharjah Warriors will take on each other in the second clash of the tournament on January 14.

The first double header of the tournament will be played on January 15 with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Gulf giants in the first doubleheader match of the day. While Desert Vipers taking on Sharjah Warriors in the second fixture of the first doubleheader. There will be five double-headers in the entire tournament with the first clash starting at 2 pm (local time) & the second clash beginning at 6 pm (local time). The final clash will be played on February 12 at the Dubai International Stadium.

In the inaugural edition of the ILT20 a total of 34 fixtures with 30 fixtures to be played during the league stage & four fixtures including finals to be played in the Playoffs stage. All the teams will face each other twice in the league stage with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The top two teams will play Qualifier 1 on February 8 in Dubai while the third & fourth-placed teams will play the Eliminator clash on February 9 in Sharjah. The team which will lose Qualifier 1 & the winner of the Eliminator clash will face off in Qualifier 2 on February 10 in Dubai. The Dubai International Stadium will host 16 fixtures, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host 10 fixtures & Sharjah cricket Stadium will host eight fixtures respectively.

Big Names of World Cricket have chosen ILT20 over other T20 League

The inaugural season of the ILT20 will clash with several other T20 leagues. South Africa’s SA20 will be played from January 10 to February 11 while the BBL 2022 beginning in December will run until February 4. On the other hand, PSL 2023 will begin on February 9 & the BPL is also slated to be played in the January-February window.

Despite several T20 leagues being played in the January-February window concurrently with the ILT20, some big names of World Cricket have shown their interest in UAE’s ILT20. MI Emirates have signed Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir & Kieron Pollard in their suqad. On the other hand, Knight Riders have bagged the services of Narine, Russell & Asalanka. While Hales, Hasaranga & Cottrell will rock the field for Desert Vipers.

Capitals on the other hand have shown trust in Sri Lankan players by signing Rajapaksa, Shanaka & Chameera along with Raza, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Chris Jordan, Vince Liam Dawson, Chris Lynn & Ollie Pope. Sharjah Warriors have bought the services of Evin Lewis, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes & Dawid Malan.

Complete Schedule of UAE’s T20 League