The International League T20 (ILT20) is set to start in December 2025. Teams have geared up for the fourth edition of the UAE T20 league.
The league, though, starts earlier than usual. This helps the ILT20 avoid a major clash with the BBL and SA20.
And the move also comes on the back of the T20 World Cup scheduled between February and March 2026.
So, when and where does the ILT20 2025/26 season start?
The ILT20 2025/26 will get underway on December 2. Last year’s winners, Dubai Capitals, will take on Desert Vipers in the league opener in Dubai starting at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST).
How many teams will participate in the ILT20 2025/26?
As many as six teams will battle it out in the fourth edition of the ILT20.
Here are the six teams in the ILT20 2025/26 season:
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Desert Vipers
- Dubai Capitals
- Gulf Giants
- MI Emirates
- Sharjah Warriorz
Check out the owners of all ILT20 teams here.
Okay, what’s the format like in the ILT20 2025/26?
The ILT20 follows a standard format. Teams face each other twice in the league stage. That means 10 matches per side in the league stage.
Then the top four teams make the cut for the playoffs. The top two teams fight it out in qualifier 1 for a direct spot in the final, while the other two teams look to seal the qualifier 2 berth in the eliminator.
Qualifier 2 pits the winner of the eliminator against the loser of qualifier 1. The winner between them moves into the final and takes on the qualifier 1 winner.
Click to Know All About ILT20 Here
Alright, which venues will host the ILT20 2025/26?
The three usual venues in the Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah – will host all the action.
Dubai will stage 15 matches, including the eliminator and the final. Abu Dhabi will host 11 matches, including qualifier 1, while Sharjah will host eight games, including qualifier 2.
Here are the three venues:
- Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai (home to Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers)
- Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah (home to Sharjah Warriorz and Gulf Giants)
- Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi (home to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and MI Emirates)
What’s the complete schedule for the ILT20 2025/26 season?
The ILT20 2025/26 runs from December 2 to January 4. The league stage consists of 30 matches, with four double headers.
The playoffs will commence on December 30 with qualifier 1, followed by the eliminator on January 1 and qualifier 2 on January 2. The league will conclude on January 4 with the grand finale.
ILT20 2025/26: Complete Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (Local / IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2 | Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 3 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 4 | Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 5 | Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 6 | Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 7 | Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates | Sharjah | 2:00 PM / 3:30 PM |
| Dec 7 | Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 8 | Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 9 | MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 10 | Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriorz | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 11 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 12 | Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 13 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 14 | MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriorz | Abu Dhabi | 2:00 PM / 3:30 PM |
| Dec 14 | Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 15 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 16 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 17 | Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 18 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 19 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Dubai Capitals | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 20 | MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Abu Dhabi | 2:00 PM / 3:30 PM |
| Dec 20 | Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriorz | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 21 | Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals | Sharjah | 2:00 PM / 3:30 PM |
| Dec 21 | Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 22 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 23 | MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 24 | Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriorz | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 26 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 27 | MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 28 | Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Dec 30 | Qualifier 1: No. 1 vs No. 2 | Abu Dhabi | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Jan 1 | Eliminator: No. 3 vs No. 4 | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Jan 2 | Qualifier 2: Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator | Sharjah | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
| Jan 4 | Final: Winner Qualifier 1 vs Winner Qualifier 2 | Dubai | 6:30 PM / 8:00 PM |
Ongoing & Upcoming Series Schedule:
India’s Domestic Cricket Schedule 2025-26
Indian Men’s Cricket Team Schedule for 2025 Home Season
India vs South Africa 2025 Series Schedule
Australia Schedule for 2025-26 Home Season
Ashes 2025-26 Complete Schedule
Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 2025: Schedule
New Zealand vs West Indies Series 2025: Schedule
New Zealand Schedule for 2025-26 Home Season
World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 Full Schedule
Nepal Premier League 2025 Schedule
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025: Schedule
International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-26: Schedule
Big Bash League 2025-26: Schedule
ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup 2025: Schedule
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Schedule
How do all ILT20 teams stack up for the 2025/26 season?
Here’s how all teams built their squads in the first-ever ILT20 auction held in October 2025.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Alex Hales, Alishan Sharafu, Sherfane Rutherford
All-rounders: Adnan Idrees, Andre Russell, Brandon McMullen, Jason Holder, Khary Pierre, Liam Livingstone, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Sunil Narine
Wicketkeepers: Manan Ali, Mayank Choudhary, Michael Pepper, Phil Salt, Unmukt Chand
Bowlers: Ajay Kumar, George Garton, Ibrar Ahmad, Olly Stone, Piyush Chawla
Desert Vipers ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Bilal Tahir, Faisal Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Max Holden, Shimron Hetmyer, Tawanda Muyeye, Tom Bruce
All-rounders: Dan Lawrence, Sam Curran, Sanjay Pahal, Wanindu Hasaranga
Wicketkeepers: Andries Gous, Vriitya Aravind
Bowlers: David Payne, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Khuzaima Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Matiullah Khan, Naseem Shah, Qais Ahmad
Dubai Capitals ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Leus du Plooy, Rovman Powell, Sediqullah Atal, Toby Albert
All-rounders: Dasun Shanaka, David Willey, Gulbadin Naib, James Neesham, Mohammad Nabi, Navin Bidaisee, Rushil Ugarkar
Wicketkeepers: Jordan Cox, Shayan Jahangir
Bowlers: Anudeep Chenthamara, Farhan Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Mustafizur Rahman, Scott Currie, Tymal Mills, Usman Najeeb, Waqar Salamkheil
Gulf Giants ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Asif Khan, James Vince, Sean Dickson
All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Gerhard Erasmus, Kyle Mayers, Liam Dawson, Moeen Ali
Wicketkeepers: Lorcan Tucker, Meet Bhavsar, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tom Moores
Bowlers: Aayan Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Wood, Fred Klaassen, Haider Razzaq, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Mark Adair, Matthew Forde, Muhammad Zuhaib, Ramon Simmonds, Tabraiz Shamsi
MI Emirates ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Ackeem Auguste, Muhammad Waseem, Tajinder Dhillon, Tom Banton
All-rounders: Chris Woakes, Jordan Thompson, Kamindu Mendis, Romario Shepherd, Shakib Al Hasan
Wicketkeepers: Andre Fletcher, Jonny Bairstow, Usman Khan
Bowlers: AM Ghazanfar, Arab Gul, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohamed Shafeeq, Muhammad Rohid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nosthush Kenjige, Zahoor Khan, Zain Ul Abidin
Sharjah Warriorz ILT20 2025/26 Squad
Batters: Johnson Charles, Tim David, Tom Abell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
All-rounders: Abdul Khan, Harmeet Singh, Mohammed Aslam, Shubham Ranjane, Sikandar Raza
Wicketkeepers: Dinesh Karthik, Ethan D’souza, James Rew
Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Dwaine Pretorius, Jayden Seales, Junaid Siddique, Nathan Sowter, Raees Ahmed Ayan, Richard Ngarava, Saurabh Netravalkar, Taskin Ahmed, Tim Southee, Wasim Akram
Where to watch the ILT20 2025/26 season?
The Indian fans can exclusively watch the ILT20 2025/26 on Zee Network’s TV channels. The channels are: Zee Cinema, Zee Action, Zee Thirai, Zee Cinemalu, and &Pictures. Additionally, the live streaming will be available on the ZEE5 app and website.
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