ILT20 2026: Schedule, Teams, Squads, Venues & How to Watch

The DP World International League T20 (ILT20) is back for Season 5, and this year it starts earlier than ever. The first ball is bowled on Saturday, 21 November 2026, and the final is on Sunday, 20 December 2026 at the Dubai International Stadium. Six franchises play 34 matches in 30 days across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Defending champions Desert Vipers open the season against MI Emirates, a rematch of last season’s final. Babar Azam makes his ILT20 debut, Fazalhaq Farooqi arrives as the most expensive player in league history, and stars like Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and Faf du Plessis are all in the mix.

This guide covers the full ILT20 2026 schedule with India timings, all six squads, venues, auction records, past winners, all-time records, where to watch, tickets and answers to the most common questions. It is updated after every match.

ILT20 2026 at a glance

What is the ILT20?

The ILT20 is the UAE’s franchise T20 league, run by the Emirates Cricket Board with DP World as title sponsor. It began in January 2023, and the same six teams have played every season since. Several are owned by groups behind IPL franchises: MI Emirates belongs to the Mumbai Indians family, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to the Knight Riders group, and Dubai Capitals to GMR, co-owners of Delhi Capitals.

Every playing XI must include UAE players, which is why local names such as Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu and Aayan Khan get regular game time beside international stars. Squads must also carry players from Associate nations including Ireland, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Instead of a single orange or purple cap, the ILT20 hands out coloured belts at the end of each season: the Red Belt for Most Valuable Player, the Green Belt for Best Batter, the White Belt for Best Bowler and the Blue Belt for Best UAE Player. Each belt winner received $15,000 last season.

What’s new in Season 5

• Earlier window. The first three seasons ran in January-February and Season 4 moved to December-January. Season 5 moves earlier again, to late November and December, to avoid clashing with SA20 and other leagues.
• Record auction. At the second-ever ILT20 player auction on 1 October 2026, four players beat the old record of $260,000.
• Babar Azam’s debut. The Desert Vipers signed Babar at his $80,000 base price, along with Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan.
• Gulf expansion. The league now partners with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait cricket. Development tournaments were held in both countries before Season 5, and every squad must include players from both.
• UAE National Day double-header. On 2 December, the league marks National Day with an afternoon game in Abu Dhabi and an evening game in Dubai.

Format and playoffs

Each team plays the other five twice, home and away, for 10 league matches. Teams get two points for a win and one for a no-result, with net run rate breaking ties. The top four go through to the playoffs:

• Qualifier 1 (16 Dec, Abu Dhabi): 1st vs 2nd. The winner goes straight to the final.
• Eliminator (17 Dec, Dubai): 3rd vs 4th. The loser is out.
• Qualifier 2 (18 Dec, Sharjah): Loser of Q1 vs winner of the Eliminator.
• Final (20 Dec, Dubai): Winner of Q1 vs winner of Q2.

Finishing in the top two matters, because those teams get two chances to reach the final.

ILT20 2026 full schedule (timings in GST and IST)

Evening matches start at 6:30 PM UAE time (8:00 PM IST). Afternoon matches on double-header days start at 2:00 PM UAE time (3:30 PM IST). UAE time is 1 hour 30 minutes behind India.

Key dates and fixtures to circle

• 21 Nov: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates. The season opens with a rematch of the Season 4 final.
• 22 Nov: The first double-header. Sharjah Warriorz host Gulf Giants in the afternoon, and Dubai Capitals start against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the evening.
• 26 Nov: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders play their first home match, against MI Emirates at Zayed Cricket Stadium.
• 2 Dec: UAE National Day double-header. Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers in Abu Dhabi, then Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates in Dubai.
• 13 Dec: The last double-header and probably the decisive league day: MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals, then Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers.
• 14 Dec: The final league match, Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals, settles the top four.
• 15 and 19 Dec: Rest days before the playoffs and the final.

Double-headers fall on 22, 28 and 29 November and on 2, 6 and 13 December, so those days have two matches.

Venues

Dubai International Stadium is known as the “Ring of Fire” because of its roof-mounted floodlights. It has hosted every ILT20 final. Evening dew often helps the chasing side, so captains who win the toss usually bowl first.

Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi has the biggest outfield of the three grounds. Spinners and cutters tend to get more help there, and good totals are slightly lower than in Sharjah.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has hosted more one-day internationals than any other ground in the world. Its short boundaries make it the most batter-friendly venue in the league, and 180-plus scores are common.

Teams and squads

Each squad has 18 to 23 players, mixing international stars, UAE players and Associate-nation players. Here are the key names in each squad after the 1 October auction.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Still chasing a first title. The Knight Riders kept their core of Sunil Narine, Jason Holder and Finn Allen, and added Moeen Ali, Colin Munro, Gulbadin Naib and veteran opener Andre Fletcher, who was the record buy at last year’s auction. UAE batter Alishan Sharafu ($110,000) and USA’s Amshi De Silva ($100,000) were their biggest auction buys. Other names: Qais Ahmad, Usman Tariq, Muhammad Rohid, Lorcan Tucker (Ireland).

Desert Vipers. The defending champions, and finalists in three of four seasons. Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan give them a strong Pakistan core. Fast bowler David Payne was their top auction buy at $150,000. Shimron Hetmyer, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Dan Lawrence and Andries Gous came in as direct signings. Sam Curran, last season’s Player of the Tournament and captain, is not in the squad list published after the auction. Other names: Khuzaima Tanveer, Joe Clarke, Harry Tector (Ireland), Vriitya Aravind.

Dubai Capitals. Champions in Season 3. Faf du Plessis ($300,000) is their headline buy. They used their Right to Match card to keep Dasun Shanaka at $100,000 and also added Phil Salt and Max Holden. Marcus Stoinis, Rovman Powell, Noor Ahmad and Mustafizur Rahman were pre-auction signings. Other names: Luke Wood, Matt Potts, Mark Adair (Ireland), Sediqullah Atal, Aayan Khan, Hassan Khan.

Gulf Giants. The first ILT20 champions in 2023. They spent big on Liam Livingstone ($350,000), Rahmanullah Gurbaz ($310,000, kept with Right to Match) and Alzarri Joseph ($230,000). Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller give them one of the strongest middle orders in the league, and Azmatullah Omarzai and Blessing Muzarabani were retained. Other names: Shamar Joseph, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Wiese, Ibrahim Zadran, Curtis Campher (Ireland).

MI Emirates. Season 2 champions and last season’s runners-up. They broke the auction record for Fazalhaq Farooqi ($380,000) and made Muhammad Waseem the most expensive UAE player ($210,000). Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford were retained. Other buys: Chris Jordan ($170,000), Allah Ghazanfar ($150,000), Lizaad Williams, Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera, Ross Adair (Ireland).

Sharjah Warriorz. Like the Knight Riders, still without a title. They built an English core with Richard Gleeson ($180,000), Paul Walter, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Adil Rashid, and added Mohammad Nabi ($140,000). Sikandar Raza, James Vince, Adam Milne and Waqar Salamkheil (last season’s Best Bowler) were direct signings. Other names: Brandon McMullen, George Linde, Logan van Beek, George Dockrell (Ireland). Adrian Birrell is the new head coach.

Captains for Season 5 have not been announced yet; this section will be updated when they are.

Auction highlights (1 October 2026, Dubai)

The Season 5 auction took place at the ICC Academy in Dubai. More than 200 players from 23 countries went under the hammer, and each franchise had a $1.3 million purse plus anything left over from $700,000 for direct signings. The record fell three times on the day: first to du Plessis, then to Gurbaz and Livingstone, and finally to Farooqi.

Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Phil Salt and Adil Rashid all went for their $80,000 base price. Each team can still add one wildcard player for up to $250,000.

Players to watch

• Fazalhaq Farooqi (MI Emirates). The league’s all-time leading wicket-taker, with 50 wickets in his first three seasons. His 5/16 in Season 3 is among the best spells in ILT20 history.
• Babar Azam (Desert Vipers). His first ILT20 season. All eyes will be on how he goes at the top of the order on UAE pitches he knows well from Pakistan’s home series.
• Nicholas Pooran (MI Emirates). One of only three batters past 1,000 ILT20 runs, and the league’s biggest six-hitter.
• Muhammad Waseem (MI Emirates). Has won the Blue Belt for Best UAE Player in all four seasons, and scored 370 runs in Season 4.
• Liam Livingstone (Gulf Giants). A match-winner with bat and ball, and the second-most expensive player in league history.
• Heinrich Klaasen (Gulf Giants). One of the best spin-hitters in world cricket, which suits UAE conditions.
• Naseem Shah (Desert Vipers). Took three wickets in last season’s final.
• Waqar Salamkheil (Sharjah Warriorz). The left-arm wrist spinner shared the Season 4 wicket lead with 18 and won the White Belt.

ILT20 winners list

The league has had a different champion in each of its four seasons. Sharjah Warriorz and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are the only teams yet to win it.

Season 4 final recap (4 January 2026). Desert Vipers made 182/4, with captain Sam Curran unbeaten on 74 off 51 balls and Max Holden adding 41. MI Emirates were bowled out for 136, with Naseem Shah and David Payne taking three wickets each. It was the Vipers’ first title, at the third attempt.

Season 4 awards: Sam Curran won the Red Belt (MVP) and Green Belt (Best Batter) after scoring 397 runs and taking 7 wickets. Waqar Salamkheil won the White Belt (Best Bowler) and Muhammad Waseem the Blue Belt (Best UAE Player).

ILT20 all-time records

These figures cover the first three seasons, as published by the league before Season 4:

In Season 4, Andries Gous made 120 not out, the highest individual score in ILT20 history. Teams had passed 200 twelve times in the first three seasons, five of those by MI Emirates.

Where to watch ILT20 2026

Zee is the league’s official broadcast partner and is showing Season 5 in India on its TV channels and the ZEE5 app. The exact channel list for this season hasn’t been published yet; in earlier seasons matches were spread across Zee’s movie and regional channels such as &Pictures, Zee Cinema and Zee Tamil. Check ZEE5 first if you want to stream on your phone.

For Indian viewers, evening matches finish around 11:30 PM IST, and afternoon matches run from 3:30 PM to about 7:00 PM IST.

ILT20 2026 tickets

Tickets are sold only through the league’s official ticketing partner, Virgin Megastore, at tickets.ilt20.ae and at Virgin Megastore outlets in the UAE. Season 5 tickets haven’t gone on sale yet; last year they went on sale in mid-October, about six weeks before the first match.

In past seasons, general stand tickets started at AED 20, tickets for children aged 6 to 16 started at AED 10, and children under five got in free. Premium seats and hospitality boxes cost more. Final and double-header tickets sell fastest, so book early for 21 November, 2 December and 20 December.

FAQ

When does ILT20 2026 start? Season 5 starts on Saturday, 21 November 2026 with Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates in Dubai at 8:00 PM IST.

When is the ILT20 2026 final? Sunday, 20 December 2026 at the Dubai International Stadium, 8:00 PM IST.

What time do ILT20 matches start in India? Evening matches start at 8:00 PM IST and afternoon matches at 3:30 PM IST.

Where can I watch ILT20 live in India? On Zee network TV channels and streaming on the ZEE5 app.

How many teams play in ILT20? Six: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.

How many matches does each team play? Ten in the league stage, plus up to two or three more in the playoffs.

Who won ILT20 last season? Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs in the Season 4 final on 4 January 2026.

Who has won the most ILT20 titles? Four teams have one title each: Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers.

Who is the most expensive player in ILT20 history? Fazalhaq Farooqi, bought by MI Emirates for $380,000 at the Season 5 auction.

Is Babar Azam playing in ILT20 2026? Yes. The Desert Vipers signed him for $80,000, and this will be his first ILT20 season.

Who has the most runs in ILT20 history? Alex Hales, with 1,156 runs across the first three seasons.

How can I buy ILT20 tickets? Through Virgin Megastore at tickets.ilt20.ae, once Season 5 tickets go on sale.