Inaugural UAE T20 League to take place next year

Inaugural UAE T20 League to take place next year

Web Desk
June 6, 2022

The first edition of the UAE T20 League will commence on Jan 6 next year.
Many other T20 leagues will undergo during the same period.
IPL owners are likely to purchase South African league teams.

The inaugural season of the UAE T20 League, technically known as the International League T20 [ILT20], will take place next year, between January 6 and February 12.

This, though, increases the prospect of a crammed southern-hemisphere winter calendar and fierce competition for the world’s finest T20 players.

As of now, the Big Bash League (BBL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and the projected new South African league are all set to take place within that time period; the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is provisionally scheduled to begin just days after the ILT20 concludes.

The ILT20 will include 34 matches, with each side facing each other twice in the regular, followed by four playoff matches.

The South African league, CSA’s third effort at organizing a T20 tournament following the failed Global League T20 in 2017 and the now-defunct Mzansi Super League, is slated to begin in January, though dates have not yet been announced.

The BBL is set to take place between December and January; the previous season began on December 5, 2021, and ended on January 28, 2022. The following BPL is scheduled for January-February 2023.

The ILT20 can be expected to attract a fair share of the best players, thanks in part to its team owners: Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited and the owners of the Mumbai Indians, GMR Group, co-owners of the Delhi Capitals, the franchise owners of the Knight Riders [Kolkata and Trinidad], Capri Global, a non-banking financial company based in India, Lancer Capital, owners of Manchester United Football Club, and there have already been rumors that clubs in the ILT20 will be able to sign players from their IPL counterparts.

In addition, the owners of the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals, as well as a group fronted by Kevin Pietersen, are said to be interested in purchasing franchises in the South African T20 competition.

Having such partners “bodes well for the UAE T20 League,” Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, said in a statement on Monday, adding, “I am confident that together we will achieve new heights and provide entertainment and excitement to the millions of fans around the world who are eagerly awaiting the first ball of the UAE T20 League”.

And while the busy schedule could require a number of top T20 players to choose between franchises in different parts of the world, it could present a significant opportunity for cricketers stationed in the UAE.

“It is vitally important, that through this tournament UAE-based players continue to flourish which is one of the objective of this League,” Khalid Al Zarooni, chairman of the ILT20, said.

Dr. Tayeb Kamali, chairman of the ECB’s selection committee, added that the tournament “presents an excellent exposure for our players given the highly intense and competitive nature of the league”. “Such a unique international league would play a big role in attracting and nurturing a larger pool of players who will go on to represent the UAE in the years to come,” he added.

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