ILT20 2026: Confirmed Schedule, Teams, Points Table & Updates

Follow the fifth season of the International League T20 with the latest tournament dates, expected fixtures, teams, standings, venues, streaming details, tickets and results. This is your independent, regularly updated guide to everything happening across the UAE’s biggest T20 competition.

21 November to 20 December 2026

The tournament window, six-team field and 34-match format are confirmed. The full match-by-match schedule has been announced.

View Schedule

Explore Teams

The tournament

About the International League T20

The International League T20 is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition staged in the United Arab Emirates and sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board. The league was established in 2021 and held its first tournament in 2023. In a short space of time it has grown into a compact, high-profile fixture on the global franchise cricket calendar, attracting many of the biggest names in the T20 game alongside the region’s own emerging talent.

Six franchise teams compete across the UAE’s leading cricket centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The competition runs in a double round-robin format, so every team faces each of the other five twice during the league phase, followed by a four-match playoff stage that decides the champion. The result is a fast, evening-led month of cricket built around 34 matches in total, made up of 30 league games and four playoffs.

Season 5 is scheduled from 21 November to 20 December 2026. The tournament has moved progressively earlier over the years. The first three editions were played in the January and February window, Season 4 shifted to a December and January slot, and Season 5 has been brought forward again to a November and December window to reduce overlap with other major T20 leagues around the world. The Season 5 final will be played in Dubai, as has been the case in every previous edition.

The tournament window, the six-team field and the 34-match format are all confirmed. The complete match schedule, the venue for each fixture and individual start times are still awaiting official release.

League at a glance

Season 5th Edition

Dates 21 November to 20 December 2026

Teams 6

Matches 34

Host Country United Arab Emirates

Format Twenty20, double round-robin plus playoffs

Host Cities Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

Final Venue Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Defending Champions Desert Vipers

Governing Body Emirates Cricket Board

Title Sponsor DP World

Plan ahead

ILT20 2026 Key Dates

These are the fixed points on the Season 5 calendar confirmed so far. Individual fixture dates and match times will be added once the league publishes the complete Season 5 schedule.

11 Aug 2026

Pre-Auction Signings Announced

Franchises confirmed their retained and directly signed core players.

12 Sep 2026

Auction Registration Deadline

Player registration for the Season 5 auction closed.

1 Oct 2026

ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction

Will be held at the ICC Academy, Dubai.

21 Nov 2026

Season 5 Begins

Opening night of the fifth edition.

20 Dec 2026

Season 5 Ends and Final

The final is played in Dubai.

Season 5 • Player Auction

ILT20 2026 Player Auction

The Season 5 Player Auction is the moment the six franchises complete their squads for the tournament ahead. It takes place on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at the ICC Academy indoor facility in Dubai, following the pre-auction signings that the teams announced in August.

The auction is the second in the league’s history. The ILT20 moved from a draft system to an auction format for the first time in Season 4, and Season 5 continues with the same model. More than 800 players from around 20 countries registered ahead of the deadline, and organisers have shortlisted a pool of roughly 200 players who will go under the hammer on auction day.

Upcoming auction

Venue

ICC Academy

Location

Dubai, UAE

Season

Season 5

Teams

6 Franchises

View Auction Updates

Players Already in the Spotlight

Finn Allen

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

David Miller

Gulf Giants

Marcus Stoinis

Dubai Capitals

Nicholas Pooran

MI Emirates

ILT20 2026 Auction Details

Detail	Information
Date	Thursday, 1 October 2026
Venue	ICC Academy (indoor facility), Dubai
Season	Season 5
Franchises	6
Registered players	800 plus from around 20 countries
Shortlisted pool	Approximately 200 players
Purse per franchise	USD 1,300,000 plus any unspent balance from the USD 700,000 for direct signings and retentions
Minimum squad spend	USD 1.5 million
Maximum squad spend	USD 2 million
Squad size	18 to 23 players, plus one optional wildcard after the auction

How the ILT20 Auction Works

Each franchise enters the auction with a purse of USD 1.3 million. Teams can also use whatever remains from the USD 700,000 that was set aside earlier in the year for direct signings and retentions. By the time bidding closes, every franchise must have spent at least USD 1.5 million and no more than USD 2 million, not including a wildcard player who can be added afterwards.

Bidding starts at each player’s base price and rises in set increments. Bids climb in steps of USD 2,000 up to USD 50,000, then in steps of USD 5,000 between USD 50,000 and USD 100,000, and in steps of USD 10,000 above that figure.

Base prices are tiered. Players from the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia carry a fixed base price of USD 10,000. Full Member and other Associate players were allowed to set their own base price. For Afghanistan and Ireland players, a base price of USD 40,000 requires an international cap or previous ILT20 experience, while a base price of USD 80,000 requires at least 100 international appearances counted across Tests, one-day internationals and T20 internationals combined.

Squad Composition Rules

Every squad must be between 18 and 23 players and must meet strict nationality quotas designed to support both Full Member and Associate cricket:

A minimum of 11 players from ICC Full Member nations

At least 4 players from Afghanistan

At least 1 player from Ireland

At least 4 players from the UAE

At least 1 player from Kuwait

At least 1 player from Saudi Arabia

At least 1 further player from another ICC Associate nation

Right to Match and the Accelerated Set

Each franchise has four optional Right to Match cards. These cover one Full Member player, one Associate player, one UAE player, and one Kuwait or Saudi Arabia player who represented the franchise in Season 4 (the UAE card can also apply to a player from the team’s 2026 Development Tournament squad). The cards allow a franchise to retain a returning player by matching the winning bid, and they are optional rather than compulsory.

Once the standard player sets are complete, franchises with open squad slots can nominate up to eight players for an Accelerated Set before the auction closes. The auction ends when all six teams have met their minimum spending and squad-composition requirements and have no further purchases to make.

In-Season Replacements

Teams are allowed to replace players who are injured, called up for international duty or unable to obtain a No Objection Certificate, up to the end of the league phase. Once the support period is under way, any replacement must be cleared by the ILT20 Technical Committee. Mandatory quota positions must still be filled by players of the same category.

Confirmed Players and Teams

Ahead of the auction, each franchise locked in a core group of players through retentions and direct signings. Captains are still to be announced, and full Season 5 squads will be updated once the auction is complete.

Players Already in the Spotlight

Player	Franchise
Finn Allen	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Sunil Narine	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Shimron Hetmyer	Desert Vipers
Mujeeb ur Rahman	Desert Vipers
Marcus Stoinis	Dubai Capitals
Rovman Powell	Dubai Capitals
David Miller	Gulf Giants
Heinrich Klaasen	Gulf Giants
Nicholas Pooran	MI Emirates
Rashid Khan	MI Emirates
James Vince	Sharjah Warriorz
Sikandar Raza	Sharjah Warriorz

Fixture planner

ILT20 2026 Confirmed Schedule

The league has confirmed the Season 5 tournament window from 21 November to 20 December 2026, here is the complete schedule.

Every fixture below is projected. Kick-off times are shown in Gulf Standard Time (GST). Evening matches are listed at 6:30 PM GST, and weekend double-headers add an afternoon match at 2:00 PM GST.

Projected

How the playoffs work

The top four teams from the league stage advance. The top two meet in Qualifier 1, with the winner going straight to the final. The third and fourth-placed teams meet in the Eliminator. The loser of Qualifier 1 then faces the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2, and the winner of that match completes the line-up for the final.

League Stage (Projected)
Playoffs (Projected)

Match No.	Date	Fixture	Venue	Location	Time (GST)
1	Sat, Nov 21	Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
2	Sun, Nov 22	Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	2:00 PM
3	Sun, Nov 22	Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
4	Mon, Nov 23	Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
5	Tue, Nov 24	Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
6	Wed, Nov 25	Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
7	Thu, Nov 26	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	6:30 PM
8	Fri, Nov 27	Sharjah Warriorz vs Dubai Capitals	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
9	Sat, Nov 28	Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	2:00 PM
10	Sat, Nov 28	Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
11	Sun, Nov 29	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	2:00 PM
12	Sun, Nov 29	Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
13	Mon, Nov 30	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	6:30 PM
14	Tue, Dec 1	Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
15	Wed, Dec 2	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	2:00 PM
16	Wed, Dec 2	Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
17	Thu, Dec 3	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
18	Fri, Dec 4	Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
19	Sat, Dec 5	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	6:30 PM
20	Sun, Dec 6	MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriorz	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	2:00 PM
21	Sun, Dec 6	Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
22	Mon, Dec 7	Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	6:30 PM
23	Tue, Dec 8	Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriorz	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
24	Wed, Dec 9	Sharjah Warriorz vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
25	Thu, Dec 10	Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
26	Fri, Dec 11	Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM
27	Sat, Dec 12	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
28	Sun, Dec 13	Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	2:00 PM
29	Sun, Dec 13	Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM
30	Mon, Dec 14	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi	6:30 PM

Match	Date	Fixture	Venue	Location	Time
31	Wed, 16 Dec 2026	Qualifier 1: 1st vs 2nd	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM GST
32	Thu, 17 Dec 2026	Eliminator: 3rd vs 4th	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM GST
33	Fri, 18 Dec 2026	Qualifier 2: Loser Q1 vs Winner Eliminator	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sharjah	6:30 PM GST
34	Sun, 20 Dec 2026	Final	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Dubai	6:30 PM GST

View all 34 All Matches

Standings

ILT20 2026 Points Table

The standings will update throughout Season 5 as results come in. Before the competition begins, no team has played and every points value remains at zero. Teams are listed alphabetically until the season starts.

Pos	Team	P	W	L	NR	NRR	Pts
1	Abu Dhabi Knight Riders	0	0	0	0	0.000	0
2	Desert Vipers	0	0	0	0	0.000	0
3	Dubai Capitals	0	0	0	0	0.000	0
4	Gulf Giants	0	0	0	0	0.000	0
5	MI Emirates	0	0	0	0	0.000	0
6	Sharjah Warriorz	0	0	0	0	0.000	0

How points work: A win is worth two points, a no result or tie is worth one point, and a loss is worth none. Net run rate (NRR) is used to separate teams that finish level on points.

Win

Two points

No result / tie

One point

Loss

No points

NRR

Net run rate

Separates level teams

Six franchises

ILT20 2026 Teams

Six franchises will compete in Season 5 of the International League T20. Captains remain to be announced; the players shown are confirmed pre-auction core names.

Abu Dhabi Season 5

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Captain: To Be Announced
Core players: Finn Allen, Sunil Narine. Part of the global Knight Riders franchise family, blending explosive top-order hitting with world-class spin.

Finn Allen

Sunil Narine

UAE Defending Champions

Desert Vipers

Captain: To Be Announced
Core players: Shimron Hetmyer, Mujeeb ur Rahman. The defending champions arrive as title holders and will look to become the first team to retain the trophy.

Shimron Hetmyer

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

Dubai Season 5

Dubai Capitals

Captain: To Be Announced
Core players: Marcus Stoinis, Rovman Powell. Season 3 champions, combining all-round international experience with strong middle-order power.

Marcus Stoinis

Rovman Powell

UAE Season 5

Gulf Giants

Captain: To Be Announced
Core players: David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen. Winners of the inaugural edition and one of the most consistent sides in the league’s short history.

David Miller

Heinrich Klaasen

UAE Season 5

MI Emirates

Captain: To Be Announced
Core players: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan. Part of the Mumbai Indians franchise group and Season 2 champions, with serious batting firepower.

Nicholas Pooran

Rashid Khan

Sharjah Season 5

Sharjah Warriorz

Captain: To Be Announced
Captain to be announced. Core players: James Vince, Sikandar Raza. Built around experienced international all-round talent and aiming for a first ILT20 final.

James Vince

Sikandar Raza

Current title holders

Desert Vipers

ILT20 Season 4 Champions

Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs

2025–26 · First ILT20 title

Four seasons, four champions

ILT20 Winners List

Each of the first four completed editions has produced a different champion, underlining the league’s competitive balance.

Season 1

2023

Gulf Giants

beat Desert Vipers

Gulf Giants won by 7 wickets

Season 2

2024

MI Emirates

beat Dubai Capitals

MI Emirates won by 45 runs

Season 3

2025

Dubai Capitals

beat Desert Vipers

Dubai Capitals won by 4 wickets

Season 4

2025–26

Desert Vipers

beat MI Emirates

Desert Vipers won by 46 runs

View Complete ILT20 Winners History

Confirmed core talent

Players to Watch in ILT20 2026

Each of the first four completed editions has produced a different champion, underlining the league’s competitive balance.

Batter

Finn Allen

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Batter

David Miller

Gulf Giants

Wicketkeeper-batter

Heinrich Klaasen

Gulf Giants

All-rounder

Marcus Stoinis

Dubai Capitals

Wicketkeeper-batter

Nicholas Pooran

MI Emirates

Bowler

Rashid Khan

MI Emirates

All-rounder

Sikandar Raza

Sharjah Warriorz

All-rounder

Sunil Narine

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Across the Emirates

ILT20 2026 Venues

ILT20 cricket is played across the UAE’s three major cricket centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Each venue brings its own character, from large-capacity international grounds to one of the most historic stadiums in the world game.

Dubai

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Dubai, UAE. One of the primary venues used by the ILT20 and the home of the final in each of the league’s first four editions. It hosts the largest share of Season 5 fixtures and will again stage the final.

Abu Dhabi

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Abu Dhabi, UAE. A major international cricket venue in the UAE capital and a regular host of ILT20 fixtures, known for hosting some of the tournament’s highest-scoring encounters.

Sharjah

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Sharjah, UAE. One of the most historic cricket grounds in the world, and a regular venue on the ILT20 schedule. Its compact boundaries often produce entertaining, high-tempo cricket.

Ticketing guide

ILT20 2026 Tickets

Ticket sale dates and Season 5 prices have not yet been announced. The previous season used the official ILT20 ticket portal along with Virgin Megastore outlets, and a similar approach is expected for Season 5. This section will be updated with confirmed on-sale dates and pricing as soon as the league releases them.

Previous season reference (Season 4, for reference only): adult tickets started from AED 20, and children aged 6 to 16 started from AED 10. This is previous-season pricing and should not be treated as confirmed 2026 pricing.

Read Ticket Guide

Where to Watch ILT20 2026

Status: Awaiting confirmation. Season 5 broadcast and streaming information will be updated once it is officially announced. The reference list below shows the platforms that carried Season 4, and it should not be read as a confirmed list for 2026, since rights can change from season to season.

Region	Platform (Season 4 Reference)
India	Z Network television channels and ZEE5
MENA	Cricbuzz on STARZPLAY and Etisalat
Afghanistan	Ariana
Bangladesh	T Sports
Pakistan	PTV Sports, Geo Super, Tamasha, Myco and Tapmad
North America	Willow
Caribbean	Rush Sports
Sri Lanka	Dialog
United Kingdom	Sky Sports
Rest of World	ILT20 Official YouTube and Sports Central

ILT20 All Time Records

The International League T20 may be a young competition, but its first four seasons have already produced some memorable batting and bowling milestones. The records below cover the tournament’s history through Season 4 and will be updated as Season 5 unfolds.

Batting Records

Record	Holder	Detail
Most career runs	Alex Hales	The tournament’s leading run-scorer and the first batter to pass 1,400 career ILT20 runs
Highest individual score	Andries Gous	An unbeaten 120 in a Season 4 playoff, the highest individual innings in league history
Most career sixes	Nicholas Pooran	The most sixes hit by any batter across ILT20 seasons
Most centuries	Tom Banton	The only player to score two ILT20 hundreds, both in Season 3
Highest partnership	Andre Fletcher and Tom Banton	198 for the second wicket for MI Emirates against Desert Vipers in Season 3

Bowling Records

Record	Holder	Detail
Most career wickets	Fazalhaq Farooqi	The leading wicket-taker across ILT20 seasons
Best bowling figures	Fazalhaq Farooqi	5 for 16 in Season 3, among the finest spells in league history
Notable five-wicket hauls	David Wiese and Naveen ul Haq	Wiese took 5 for 20 for Gulf Giants in Season 1, and Naveen ul Haq recorded the league’s first five-wicket haul with 5 for 38

Team Records

Record	Holder	Detail
Highest team total	MI Emirates	241 for 3 against Desert Vipers in Season 1, the highest total in the competition
Largest winning margin (runs)	MI Emirates	A 157-run win over Desert Vipers in Season 1
200-plus totals	Multiple teams	The 200-run mark has been passed a dozen times through the first four seasons, with MI Emirates responsible for the most of them

Season 4 Award Winners (2025-26)

Award	Winner
Player of the Series	Sam Curran (Desert Vipers)
Most runs	Sam Curran (Desert Vipers), 397 runs
Most wickets	Waqar Salamkheil (Dubai Capitals) and Ajay Kumar (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), 18 wickets each

Records are compiled from the first four seasons of the International League T20 and will be updated during Season 5.

Editorial desk

Latest ILT20 2026 News

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FAQ’s

ILT20 2026 FAQs

Clear answers based on the confirmed tournament information available so far. Anything still to be released by the league is noted as such.

When will ILT20 2026 start?

ILT20 2026, the fifth season of the tournament, begins on Sunday, 21 November 2026.

When is the ILT20 2026 final?

The Season 5 final is scheduled for Sunday, 20 December 2026, and will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

How many teams will play in ILT20 2026?

Six franchises will compete: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.

How many matches will be played?

There are 34 matches in total, made up of 30 league-stage games in a double round-robin format and four playoff matches.

Has the full ILT20 2026 schedule been announced?

Not yet. The tournament window from 22 November to 20 December 2026 is confirmed, but the complete match-by-match fixture list, including venues and start times for each game, is still awaiting official release. Any schedule shown before then is a projection.

Which team won the previous ILT20 season?

Desert Vipers won Season 4, beating MI Emirates by 46 runs in the final to claim their maiden title. They enter Season 5 as defending champions.

Where will ILT20 2026 matches be played?

Matches will be staged across three venues in the UAE: the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The final will be played in Dubai.

When is the ILT20 2026 Player Auction?

The Season 5 Player Auction takes place on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at the ICC Academy in Dubai. Around 200 shortlisted players will go under the hammer as the six franchises complete their squads.

How much can each franchise spend at the auction?

Each franchise enters the auction with a purse of USD 1.3 million, plus any unspent balance from the USD 700,000 set aside earlier for direct signings and retentions. By the end of the auction, every squad must have a total spend between USD 1.5 million and USD 2 million.

Where can I watch ILT20 2026?

Season 5 broadcast and streaming details are awaiting official confirmation. Once the league announces its broadcast partners, this guide will list where to watch in each region.

Are ILT20 2026 tickets available?

Ticket on-sale dates and prices for Season 5 have not yet been announced. Previous seasons used the official ILT20 ticket portal and Virgin Megastore, and confirmed details will be added here as soon as they are released.