Emirates Cricket Board has announced that the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20) will be played between 6th January to 12th February 2023.
The franchise T20 tournament will feature international superstars from all over the world in a six-team competition. A total of 34 matches will be played across different stadiums in the UAE.
The Emirates Cricket Board has decided to hold the tournament in order to provide exposure to the talented cricketers in the UAE and provide them a platform to integrate with international players and showcase their talent to the cricketing world.
Five out of the six franchises in the tournament are owned by Indian companies. Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan, who owns the IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, and CPL franchise, Trinbago Knight Riders, has bought Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the tournament.
Other owners include Reliance Industries, owners of Mumbai Indians, and GMR, co-owners of Delhi Capitals. The Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, has also acquired a franchise in the ILT20.
The first edition of the tournament will be held just prior to the start of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which is usually played between mid-February and mid-March.
The scheduling of ILT20 can have an impact on the player availability for the PSL as the back-to-back tournaments can result in the players backing out due to fatigue.
Earlier, English players, Alex Hales and Jason Roy backed out of the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) after PSL 7, citing bio-bubble fatigue as the reason for their decision.
