Picture Credit: ILT20
In exciting news for cricket buffs in the gulf region, the International League T20 (ILT20) is set to return with its fourth season from December 2. As confirmed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the tournament has been moved to December-January window to avoid clashes with other T20 league around the world, along with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Taking to their official X account, ILT20 announced the dates for the upcoming edition, which will commence from December 2, which is also UAE’s National Day.
Sharing the exciting news to fans across the UAE region, Khali Al Zarooni, Chairman ILT20 and Vice-Chairman Emirates Cricket Board said, “We are delighted to confirm that the DP World International League T20 Season 4 will commence on the UAE National Day – Eid-Al-Etihad – which is one of the most important days on the UAE calendar. The UAE National Day is the day when we celebrate the United Arab Emirates, which is home to people from around the world, including millions of diehard cricket fans. It is a real honour for us to join the nation in the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of the region’s biggest T20 league – the DP World ILT20 Season 4, on the same day.”
Speaking of the upcoming edition, David White, CEO of ILT20, reiterated the strategic value behind the revised tournament window. “Following extensive discussions with all our stakeholders, we believe the 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 tournament window is ideal. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in early February, hence it was crucial for us to finish ILT20 Season 4 ahead of that event."
“This will allow dual-participating players the time to transition into national commitments. Furthermore, this window ensures we can access a broader player pool, many of whom might have scheduling conflicts during the World Cup build-up,” he further added.
ECB aims to continue ILT20 Season 3’s success streak
Revisiting the previous edition, ILT20 witnessed a record-breaking success in terms of broadcast and digital earnings. In the ILT20 2025, Dubai Capitals lifted the title at the Dubai International Stadium, which starred several quality cricketers from across the globe.
In the third edition, the tournament saw stars like Nicholas Pooran, Sam Curran (red belt winner), Shai Hope, Fazalhaq Farooqi (white belt winner), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Alex Hales, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson, David Warner, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, James Vince, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Tim Southee, Tim Seifert, Matthew Wade, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa.
