The International League T20 (ILT20) season is set for a thrilling third edition in 2025 after its successful second season. The Emirate Cricket Board (ECB) announced the third season in May 2024; and continues to work towards hosting another star-studded tournament. ECB statements suggest that the third season will start on January 11, 2025 and conclude on February 9, 2025.
Who are the Players Retained for ILT20 Season 3?
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders retains top stars like:
Sunil Narine, Micheal Pepper, Laurie Evans, Joe Clarke, David Willey, Charith Asalanka, Andries Gous, Andre Russell, Alishan Sharafu, Ali Khan, and Aditya Shetty.
Desert Vipers
ILT20’s Desert Vipers went all out to retain top talent ahead of their 2025 season. Players retained by the franchise are:
Wanindu Hasaranga, Tanish Suri, Sherfane Rutherford, Nathan Sowter, Mohammad Amir, Micheal Jones, Luke Wood, Bas de Leede, Azam Khan, Ali Naseer, Alex Hales, and Adam Hose.
Dubai Capitals
The Dubai Capitals retained top players like Rovman Powell and David Warner ahead of the third ILT20 season. See the full list of Dubai Capitals players retained below:
Zahir Khan, Sikandar Raza, Sam Billings, Rovman Powell, Raja Akif, Oliver Stone, Jake Fraser McGurk, Haider Ali, Dushmantha Chameera, David Warner, and Dasun Shanaka.
Gulf Giants
Players retained by the Gulf Giants for ILT20 Season 3 include:
Shimron Hetmyer, Richard Gleeson, Rehan Ahmed, Mohammad Zohaib Zubair, Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Gerhard Erasmus, Dipendra Singh Airee, Chris Jordan, Blessing Muzarabani, and Aayan Afzal Khan.
MI Emirates
The MI Emirates hope to deliver another impressive performance this season by retaining players like Dwayne Bravo and Akeal Hosein. Check out the full list of players retained by MI Emirates for ILT20’s third season:
Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Waqar Salamkheil.
Sharjah Warriors
The Sharjah Warriors will retain eight (8) players ahead of ILT20 Season 3. These players are Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhamad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
Released Players Ahead of the ILT20 Season 3
Several players were released ahead of the ILT20 Season 3. Franchises shocked fans with departures of high-profile players from their lineup ahead of the 2025 tournament. See the full list of released cricketers from each franchise below:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Sam Hain, Sagar Kalyan, Sabir Ali, Ravi Bopara, Matiullah Khan, Marchant de Lange, Josh Little, Jason Roy, Jake Lintott, Imad Wasim, Fabian Allen, and Brandon McMullen,
Desert Vipers
Tymal Mills, Tom Curran, Sheldon Cottrell, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Sam Curran, Rohan Mustafa, Phil Salt, Karthik Meiyappan, Gus Atkinson, Dinesh Chandimal, Dan Lawrence, Colin Munro, Azam Khan, and Aryan Lakra.
Dubai Capitals
Vriitya Aravind, Tom Banton, Tom Abell, Shamar Joseph, Scott Kuggeleijn, Roelof van der Merwe, Richard Ngarava, Rahul Chopra, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Paul van Meekeren, Nuwan Thushara, Mohammad Mohsin, Max Holden, Leus du Plooy, Kane Richardson, Jason Holder, George Munsey, Ben Dunk, Andrew Tye, and Abdul Ghaffar.
Gulf Giants
Usman Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Sanchit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Liam Dawson, Karim Janat, Dominic Drakes, Daniel Worrall, Chris Lynn, and Carlos Brathwaite.
MI Emirates
Zahoor Khan, Will Smeed, Trent Boult, Tim David, Reece Topley, Odean Smith, Muhammad Waseem, Monank Patel, Mckenny Clarke, Corey Anderson, Chris Benjamin, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Asif Khan, and Ambati Rayudu.
Sharjah Warriors
Sean Williams, Qais Ahmad, Niroshan Dickwella, Nilansh Keswani, Martin Guptill, Mark Watt, Mark Deyal, Maheesh Theekshana, Liam Livingstone, Lewis Gregory, Joe Denly, James Fuller, Daniel Sams, Chris Woakes, Chris Sole, Basil Hameed, and Adil Rashid.
What are the ILT20’s Plans for Season 3?
David White is the ILT20 CEO and believes its third season will be better and bigger than the second edition:
“We are delighted to confirm the window for DP World International League T20 Season 3. The window has been finalised after discussions with our stakeholders. We have begun our preparations for Season 3 with the aim of making the league even bigger and better,” White said.
“Season 2 was a massive success in terms of all relevant metrics’ and helped further strengthen the league’s reputation; making it one of the most sought-after T20 leagues for players, fans and broadcasters from around the world. Having considered all aspects, the January-February window for Season 3 has turned out to be the most suitable,”
ILT20 Season 3 is set to deliver another exciting season, according to White’s comments:
“The cricket fans in the UAE and those who travel to our wonderful destinations Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah from across the globe will have a lot to look forward to in Season 3,”
