The second season of ILT20 in the UAE is set to kick off on January 19. The schedule, which was revealed on Wednesday (August 23), once again overlaps with SA20, similar to the first season. However, efforts have been made to minimize the conflict between the two programmes. SA20 is scheduled to run from January 10 to February 10.The six-team league, the largest in the UAE and with a viewership of over 367 million in the first season, will conclude on February 18. The organizers have indicated that the complete schedule will be announced at a later date.
For the second consecutive year, six teams will be participating: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, and Sharjah Warriors. The competition will follow a 34-match format, including 30 group games and four playoffs, culminating in the final. Recently, the likes of David Warner, Mark Wood, Shadab Khan and Ambati Rayudu signed up for the second season. Warner and Wood, rivals at the Ashes recently, will play at Capitals, while Shadab joins Pakistan team-mates Shaheen Shah Afridi and Azam Khan at Vipers. Rayudu, who retired from all Indian cricket after IPL 2023 and is currently playing in the CPL, has been signed up by MI Emirates, while Martin Guptill and Maheesh Theekshana will play for Warriors alongside Lewis Gregory. The schedule will clash with the five-match India vs England Test series that begins on January 25 in Hyderabad; Wood and Joe Root, who are both part of the ILT20, are expected to be part of the England squad there. Warner, meanwhile, is expected to fulfil his BBL commitments with Sydney Thunder - the tournament will end on January 24 - before hopping across to the UAE to be part of the ILT20. He will require a No-Objection Certificate from Cricket Australia to play in the league.
