NEW DELHI: The inaugural edition of the ILT20 in the UAE will begin on January 13 with Dubai Capitals taking on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Dubai International Stadium, with the final scheduled for February 12 at the same stadium.
There will be a total of 34 games -- 30 in the league stage and then the four playoffs. A total of 16 games will be held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium will host ten games, and the Sharjah International Stadium will host eight games. Double headers have been slotted for five days, all weekends.
The six-team competition will have all the teams -- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global) -- playing the others twice, with the top four making it to the playoffs. Thereafter, there will be an eliminator and two qualifiers -- like in the IPL -- to identify the two finalists.
On days with a single game, the action will start at 6 pm local time (1930 hrs IST), while the first games on days with double-headers will start at 2 pm local time (1530 hrs IST).
"This is a very exciting time for the league and, collectively, we are delighted to announce the 2023 ILT20 playing schedule. To have superstars such as Dubai Capital's Dasun Shanaka and Abu Dhabi Knight Rider Andre Russell open the'r teams' accounts is very exciting. We cannot wait for the teams to arrive (in early January) and battle it out on the park and provide world-class entertainment to the cricket fans here, in the UAE, and around the globe," said Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary, Emirates Cricket Board about the ILT20, in a release.
"We are confident that the ILT20 will be a huge success," he added.
The ILT20 will feature some big names, like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sikandar Raza and Dasun Shanaka.