Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at how the ILT20 has become a symbol of cricket in Dubai. We can also find out who won this year and reveal some of the competition’s latest stats, most famous faces, and more.
What is the International League T20?
The International League T20 competition is a domestic cricket league held annually in Dubai. This year’s competition was the second edition of the highest level of men’s professional cricket in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which follows a T20 cricket format.
It’s a double round-robin cricket tournament with playoffs at the end and is organised by the ECB (Emirates Cricket Board). The winners of the first-ever ILT20 competition were the Gulf Giants, and this year’s winners were the MI Emirates.
The other teams that also compete in this newly formed cricket competition and symbol of Dubai cricket are the Desert Vipers, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, the Dubai Capitals, and the Sharjah Warriors.
After being officially recognised as a T20 tournament by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with List A status, the UAE-based competition administrators described the newly found status as an official T20 tournament as a major boost and major milestone for cricket in Dubai and across the nation.
Leagues like this and the Indian Premier League have helped make cricket more popular than ever, and betting sites online have also recorded a huge increase in recent years in the number of people wagering on major T20 cricket competitions like this.
Where are the International League T20 cricket matches played?
There are just three venues where the ILT20 cricket matches are played in the United Arab Emirates, including the following three stadiums:
- Stadium: Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Location: Dubai. Capacity: 25,000.
- Stadium: Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Location: Sharjah. Capacity: 16,000.
- Stadium: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Location: Abu Dhabi. Capacity: 20,000.
In the final this year, the MI Emirates ended up beating the Dubai Capitals by 45 runs to win the second-ever DP World International League T20 competition.
Which famous faces are helping to shine a spotlight on Dubai’s biggest cricket league?
Several famous international faces are helping to shine a spotlight on the league either through promotional campaigns or by featuring as players or coaches in the teams.
For example, the Sharjah Warriors captain is England’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Australia’s Colin Munro captains the Desert Vipers, and David Warner captains the Dubai Capitals.
You also have England’s James Vince as the captain of the Gulf Giants, the West Indies’ Sunil Narine as the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain, and Nicholas Pooran as the MI Emirates Captain.
The head coaches are Bharat Arun (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), James Foster (Desert Vipers), Phil Simmons (Dubai Capitals), Andy Flower (Gulf Giants), Robin Singh (MI Emirates), and Paul Farvrace (Sharjah Warriors).
A closer look at some of the stats and records so far
James Vince of the Gulf Giants currently has the record for the most runs, with 365 in 12 innings, followed by the Desert Vipers’ Nicholas Pooran with 354 runs in 10 innings, and the MI Emirates’ Kusal Perera with 335 runs in 10 innings.
The player to have taken the most wickets is the MI Emirates’ Fazalhaq Farooqi, who took 17 wickets in 8 matches, followed by the MI Emirates’ Waqar Salamkheil, who took 17 wickets in 11 matches.
The end of season awards this year went to James Vince (Green Belt award for the Most Runs, playing for the Gulf Giants), Waqar Salamkheil (White Belt award for the Most Wickets, playing for the MI Emirates), and Nicholas Pooran (Black Belt award for the fastest 50, playing for the MI Emirates).
This year, the Most Valuable Player award went to Sikandar Raza of the Dubai Capitals (Red Belt award winner), and the Best UAE Player award went to Muhammad Wasem of the MI Emirates (Blue Belt award).
Final note
The International League T20 (ILT20) in Dubai will no doubt continue to expand and become more popular over the coming years.
However, it will likely take many years before it can come anywhere near as popular as the Indian Premier League – the world’s most well-known domestic T20 cricket competition.
