The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday (14th May) announced the dates for the fourth edition of the ILT20. The tournament will be played ahead of his traditional January-February window and has been slated to take place in December-January.
The 2025 edition is all set to begin on 2nd December, which is known as the National Day (Eid-Al-Etihad). The final of the tournament will be held on Sunday, 4 January 2026. The league will be played earlier due to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in February-March 2026.
ILT20 will see six teams playing 34 matches
The ILT20 has been a blockbuster over the last few years. The three seasons saw an enthralling brand of cricket with many big international players making their presence felt in the league. Also, what has been impressive is the support that people have shown towards it.
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Like the last season, the tournament will see six teams featuring. A total of 34 matches will be played. Dubai Capitals are the defending champions as they beat Desert Vipers under the leadership of Sam Billings in a thrilling final in season 3, which was played in front of a full house at the Dubai International Stadium.
Delighted to confirm that ILT20 Season 4 will commence on the UAE National Day – Khalid Al Zaroon
Chairman ILT20 and Vice-Chairman Emirates Cricket Board Khalid Al Zarooni talked about season four, saying that it will be a great honour for them to join the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of ILT20. Speaking in an official statement, he said:
“We are delighted to confirm that the DP World International League T20 Season 4 will commence on the UAE National Day – Eid-Al-Etihad – which is one of the most important days on the UAE calendar.
“The UAE National Day is the day where we celebrate the United Arab Emirates which is home to people from around the world including millions of diehard cricket fans. It is a real honour for us to join the nation in the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of the region’s biggest T20 league – the DP World ILT20 Season 4, on the same day.”
We are now fully focused on making an even bigger impact – CEO David White
ILT20 CEO David White explained why they decided to host the tournament in December-January. He said that this window would provide the teams with the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players. He also talked about the last season, saying that they are focused on making a big impact in Season 4. He said:
“Following extensive discussions with all our stakeholders, we believe the 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 tournament window is ideal for the DP World International League T20 Season 4. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in early February hence it was important for us to start and finish Season 4 well before the tournament as it will allow the players playing both the DP World ILT20 and the T20 World Cup to prepare for national duty. In addition, we feel that the December-January window will provide the teams’ the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players.
“Season 3 was a big success with outstanding broadcast and digital numbers as the fans enjoyed a step-up in the quality of cricket. The teams gave their absolute all across the hugely competitive 34-tournament matches which concluded with a nail-biting final won by the Dubai Capitals in the last over of the match in front of a packed Dubai International Stadium. We are now fully focused on making an even bigger impact as we turn our attention to Season 4.”
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