ILT20 Franchises secure over 50-International-Players

ILT20's six-franchises begin contracting players through 'Direct Acquisition' option

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UAE's International League T20 (ILT20), has today announced a stunning line-up of super-stars who have been signed-on to participate in the Inaugural event.

Khalid Al Zarooni, Chairman, UAE ILT20, said, "Over the past weeks, ILT20's six franchises have started discussions and engaged with players, and players' agents, to exercise their 'Direct Acquisition' rights, and we are extremely delighted to be in a position today to announce the first set of players who will compete in UAE's Inaugural (T20) League."

Marquee Players who have signed to appear and compete in the Inaugural ILT20:

Moeen Ali Andre Russell Dawid Malan Wanindu Hasiranga Sunil Narine Evin Lewis Colin Munro Fabien Allen Sam Billings Tom Curran Alex Hales Dushmantha Chameera Shimron Hetmyer Akeal Hosein Chris Jordan Tom Banton Sandeep Lamichhane Chris Lynn Rovman Powell Bhanuka Rajapaksa Mujeeb Ul Rahman

Commenting on the team-structure, Mubashshir Usmani, Emirates Cricket's General Secretary, said: "It's exciting to see how well the squads are shaping up for the first season of ILT20. Each team will consist of 18 players including 4 UAE players and 2 other players from ICC Associate countries. The quality of the names announced today is outstanding and so is the interest in our league from top global players."

Further international players will be announced by the league later this week, and then the process to sign the 4 UAE players for each team will commence.

Emirates Cricket remains cognisant of its role to inspire the existing member-unions, as well as to provide sustainable and effective opportunities to bolster UAE National-team players through continued investment in their development. "One of the key objectives for ILT20 is to provide opportunities for players from the UAE and other Associate nations to perform on the big stage, and, the ECB extends its deep appreciation to the six-franchises for their support of our vision to grow our game and create stronger, more competitive players," added Usmani.

Global cricket stars such as Lahiru Kumara, Seekugge Prassanna, Charith Asalanka, Colin Ingram, Paul Stirling, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Isuru Udana, Blessing Muzarabani, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazaratullah Zazai, Frederick Klassen, Sikandar Raja, George Munsey, Dan Lawrence, Dominic Drakes, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, David Wiese, Qais Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, James Vince, Noor Ahmed, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Navin Ul Haq, Sherfane Rutherford, Saqib Mahmood, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Ruben Trumpelman will also be part of the League.

Making its debut in January (2023), the inaugural ILT20, which has received multi-year ICC approval, will be played in a 34-match format across the UAE's exemplemtary, world-class Cricket facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.