The UAE International League T20 (ILT20) is all set to begin with its first edition next year, know the 2023 teams, squad and schedule
Letโs have a look at the high-profile owners who have decided to each buy a team in the UAE ILT20.
UAE ILT20 League 2022 Teams Owners List, Squad Players List, Salary Cap, Schedule, Start Date, Live Streaming Telecast And Full Form
What has excited the cricketing world so far regarding the ILT20 is the massive financial dealings involved. The ILT20 has a salary cap of $2.5 million per team, where top players can potentially earn $450,000 for playing just 12 matches. This massive influx of cash comes from some of the most influential business personalities.
While the full schedule is yet to be revealed, the event will get underway in January 2023.
The first edition of the International League T20 is scheduled to be played from 6th January 2023 to 12th February 2023 and a total of 34 matches will take place in the upcoming tournament.
MI Emirates:
Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Nicholas Pooran (West Indies), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Andre Fletcher (West Indies), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Samit Patel (England), Will Smeed (England), Jordan Thompson (England), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan), Zahir Khan (Afghanistan), Fazalhaq Farooqui (Afghanistan), Bradley Wheal (Scotland), Bas De Leede (Netherlands)
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine (West Indies), Andre Russell (West Indies), Jonny Bairstow (England), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), Colin Ingram (South Africa), Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Seekkuge Prasanna (Sri Lanka), Ravi Rampaul (West Indies), Raymon Reifer (West Indies), Kennar Lewis (West Indies), Ali Khan (United States of America), Brandon Glover (Netherlands)
| Team | City | Owner |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Abu Dhabi, Emirate of Abu Dhabi | Knight Riders Group |
| Dubai Capitals | Dubai, Emirate of Dubai | GMR Group |
| Gulf Giants | None | Adani Sportsline |
| MI Emirates | None | Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited |
| TBD | Sharjah, Emirate of Sharjah | Capri Global Capital Limited |
| TBD | TBD | Lancer Capital LLC |
๐จ BREAKING ๐จ
"UAEโs International League T20, the #ILT20, has today announced a stunning line-up of the gameโs super-stars have signed-on to participate in the Inaugural event"
Read more ๐ https://t.co/C4gxNOGJlg pic.twitter.com/dv1ZG7k1pn
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 8, 2022
INDURGURAL ILT20 2023 (UAE T20 LEAGUE) #ILT20 pic.twitter.com/t7fKSIJBGq
— Vicky Bohra (@VickyBohra19) August 11, 2022
Top 5 Highest Paying T20 League in 2022:
1) IPL (2.1m USD)
2) SA T20 League (5lac USD)
3) UAE ILT20 (4.5lac USD)
4) BPL (2.5lac USD)
5) BBL (2.38lac USD)— Sheikh Sahab (@sheikhsahab004) August 15, 2022
The stars that will represent the colors of @ADKRiders loud and proud this #ILT20 season!
Are you ready, Abu Dhabi?
๐ธ: @ADKRiders #ADKR #Internationalleaguet20 #ilt20 #uae #cricket #uaecricket #abudhabi pic.twitter.com/neryGPTsD1
— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) August 16, 2022
UAEโs International League T20 locked-in for January-February 2023#shortscricket ๐ #ILT20#UAE #CricketTwitter#Cricket #shortssports
Dates, Venue, Teams, Owners, Telecast Info
DETAILS LINK โคต๏ธ https://t.co/Ph9aOPYAYR pic.twitter.com/550MMq895C— shorts cricket (@shortscricket_) June 6, 2022
Mumbai Indians owners unveil names of two new franchises, MI Emirates in UAEโs International League T20 and MI Cape Town in CSA T20 League
More โก๏ธ https://t.co/Kx9sCjWnr9#MumbaiIndians #MIEmirates #MICapeTown #CSAT20League #ILT20 pic.twitter.com/tHKS826dt6
— CricTelegraph (@CricTelegraph) August 10, 2022
The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) backs the International League T20 ILT20.
The First Ever UAE International League T20 ILT20
The first edition of the UAE ILT20 league is scheduled to be played next year in January. This means that it will clash with Australiaโs Big Bash League and the Bangladesh Premier League. With its homegrown stars signing up for ILT 20, the BBL is already feeling the competition.
What has attracted these players is that they will be paid almost double the amount they got in Australia. Adding to this, players are exempt from any form of tax for every penny that they earn. BBL stars like Chris Lynn, are likely to join the UAE-based league next year, and even David Warner is rumoured to skip the BBL.
The ILT20 has a salary cap of $2.5 million per team. This means that players could earn $450,000 for just 12 matches.This is highly in contrast to the BBL where the highest-paid player can fetch no more than $238,000 per season. As of now, only the IPL can match the ILT20 in terms of the amount being offered to top players.
UAE IL T20 League Team Owners
Given below are the owners of all six teams for the first edition of the UAE ILT20:
Shahrukh Khan
The Knight Riders Group, led by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, acquired a franchise in the ILT20 earlier this year. The group already has a team in the IPL and CPL and has also made a substantial investment in the USAโs Major League Cricket. Their latest acquisition in the ILT20 signals the groupโs aim to expand its reach to every nook and cranny of the world.
Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambaniโs Reliance Industries acquired a franchise in the UAE-based league, marking its first foreign investment in the cricketing business. As of now, the name of the team is yet to be announced.
They were late starters in the expansion business comparatively, but are now gaining momentum. Last month, they confirmed the acquisition of a Cape Town-based franchise in the revamped South African T20 League.
Gautam Adani
Gautam Adani, with a net worth of $107.6 billion, was one of the first to buy an ILT20 League franchise. He acquired the rights to Gulf Giants. Adani also tried to buy an IPL franchise this year but lost the bidding war to both CVC Capital and RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group.
Avram Glazer
Manchester United co-chairman Avram Glazer has been looking to invest in the cricket business for a long time. The Glazer Group missed buying a cricket team in the IPL. However, they confirmed the successful acquisition of the franchise in the UAE T20 League through their private equity firm, Lancer Capitals.
Rajesh Sharma
Capri Global, led by Rajesh Sharma, made its way into the sports business by acquiring a franchise in the ILT20 league. Like the Glazers and Adanis, Capri Global has also been trying hard to gain entry into the franchise cricket world. In the previous year, Capri Global was among the top five bidders for an IPL team.
Kiran Grandhi
Following Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals are the third IPL franchise to buy a UAE League team. GMR Group director Kiran Grandhi runs the DC in partnership with JSW Group. Grandhi is notoriously famous for his auction tactics, where he often bids on players his team doesnโt even need just to raise the price.
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