The league was initially planned to begin in early 2023, but its inaugural edition was eventually scheduled for January 2024.[3] In June 2022, it was officially named the International League T20, with dates for the first season confirmed.[4]
Although the tournament initially did not have official status due to the Emirates Cricket Board not being a full member of the International Cricket Council, the ILT20 became the first ICC Associate member-run franchise league to obtain List A status in December 2023, leading to all its matches and player statistics being officially recognised.[5]
History
The International League T20 (ILT20) was officially announced by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) in 2022 as a new professional T20 franchise league based in the United Arab Emirates. The aim was to establish a world-class tournament that would position the UAE as a key destination in the global T20 cricket calendar.
The inaugural season was initially planned for 2022 but was later postponed due to scheduling conflicts and organizational preparations. The first edition of the league was eventually held from 13 January to 12 February 2023.
The league featured six city-based franchises, several of which were owned by companies that also own teams in other major leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL). This included ownership links to teams such as Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals. The ILT20 adopted a unique player policy, allowing teams to field up to nine overseas players in the playing XI — a structure different from most other leagues, which usually limit overseas players to four or five. This allowed the tournament to attract a large number of international stars. To support domestic cricket, each team was also required to include at least two UAE players in their squad. The league served both as an entertainment product and as a platform for developing local talent in the UAE.
The UAE-based ILT20, one of the major franchise-run T20 leagues around the world despite being just a season old because of the quality of players it has attracted, has been given List A status by the ICC just over a month off the start of its second season. It is the first T20 league run by the board of an Associate nation to be given this status.[5]
What it means is that the tournament will now be recognised as an official T20 tournament, with all tournament statistics given official status.
The second edition of the tournament will kick off on 19 January and end on 17 February.[6][7]
The first 2 seasons accumulated 340 Million views globally. 108 million people tuned in from across India even though attendance was low.[8] The second ILT20 season was won by MI Emirates defeated Dubai Capitals by 45 runs to win the title.
The fourth season of the International League T20 (ILT20) began on 2 December 2025, earlier than usual to avoid a clash with the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup in February. The tournament will conclude on 4 January 2026.[9]
For the 2025–26 season, the ILT20 adopted a player auction format for the first time, replacing the draft system used in previous years. The auction is scheduled to take place in Dubai on 1 October 2025. Each team had already made retentions and direct signings earlier in the year, and was allowed to spend up to USD 800,000 during the auction, with an overall squad budget ranging from USD 1.5 million to USD 2 million.[10]
Organisation
Trophy
The ILT20 Trophy was designed and made by London-based silversmiths Thomas Lyte.[11] Unveiled in October 2022, the trophy's design is intended to reflect the spirit of the league and the heritage and culture of the UAE. The trophy measures 830mm in height, directly proportional to the 830m Burj Khalifa.[12] The falcon is the UAE’s national bird, and its teardrop shape makes up the trophy’s form, while the seven Emirates that make up the UAE form a seven-pointed crown. Inspired by the shape of the sands of Tel Moreeb, the finial sits on top of the trophy holding a cricket ball.
The ILT20 has a number of rules which vary from the established Laws of cricket or those used in other Twenty20 leagues:
Nine out of eleven players on each team can be overseas players,[13] which will be significantly higher than the four or five overseas-player-limit of other major T20 leagues.[14] Two players on each team must be a UAE player and a player from an Associate Member nation respectively.[13]
Teams can use a substitute, termed a "Super Sub", from a list of Seven players named as possible substitutes. The substitution can be made before the start of innings, when a wicket falls, when a batter retires, or at the end of an over. Both teams can introduce a substitute once per match.
Controversy
There has been some controversy around the ILT20's plan to only require one local (UAE) player in the playing XI of each team, with several Full Members calling for regulations requiring a higher minimum number of local players in the ILT20 and other T20 leagues.[15] Attendance was low due to lack of participation of Indian cricketers.[16]
In May 2021, Essel Group owned Zee Entertainment Enterprises bought the media rights of this league for ten years from 2023 to 2032 at a cost of US$120 million.[17][18] (Also see approx. $10.2 million a year). The events are attended by international celebrities and cricket legends every year.
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