It is a new season, and all six teams shall start with a blank slate. In the last two seasons, we have seen the teams gel together, and the players in all the franchises know each other's game, which adds to the competitive nature of the tournament. Here's how the six sides had fared in the tournament in the last two seasons to get an idea of how they are likely to perform.
# Desert Vipers
The Desert Vipers won the inaugural season in 2023 but fell like a pack of cards last year, winning only four out of 10 games and failing to reach the playoffs. The side sees a leadership change this year, with Lockie Ferguson taking on from Colin Munro. They lacked consistency last year and shall aim for a good start. They have a strong batting line-up with players Alex Hales, Sherfane Rutherford, Max Holden, and Adam Hose. The presence of all-rounders like Luke Wood, Sam Curran, and Sherfane Rutherford adds depth to the batting and bowling. The side has the resources to go the distance and win this edition.
Squad: Lockie Ferguson (c), Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Luke Wood, Michael Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Dhruv Parashar, Fakhar Zaman, Kushal Malla, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Max Holden, Sam Curran
# Gulf Giants
The Gulf Giants have been the most consistent team in the last two seasons. They lost in the final in 2023 and the 2nd Qualifier last year. The team will aim to win its first title this year. James Vince would like to overcome the upset of the last two seasons and maintain the consistency like in the previous two editions. He leads a team of talented players and shall expect good performances in this game from Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Adam Lyth, Chris Jordan, and Gerhard Erasmus. They are one of the strongest teams this season and will attract the attention of cricket bettors.
Squad: James Vince (c), Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Jordan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gerhard Erasmus, Jordan Cox, Mohammad Zuhaib Zubair, Rehan Ahmed, and Shimron Hetmyer, Adam Lyth, Dominic Drakes, Daniel Worrall, Dushan Hemantha, Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Adair, Ollie Robinson, Tim David, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Muhammad Saghir Khan, Muhammad Uzair Khan, Wahidullah Zadran
# MI Emirates
The MI Emirates won the title last season, and the side will look to add one more jewel to its crown with a good performance this season. They made a good start last season and maintained the consistency throughout, finishing at the top of the points table in the league stake. Nicholas Pooran takes over as the skipper from Kieron Pollard and shall look to lead from the front. They have one of the strongest batting line-ups in the season, with players like Muhammad Waseem, Tom Banton, Andre Fletcher, and Romario Shepherd on the side. The bowling attack is equally impressive, with Alzarri Joseph and Waqar Salamkheil adding teeth. They have the right balance in both departments and will be one of the teams to watch out for.
Squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nosthush Kenjige, Waqar Salamkheil, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Alzarri Joseph, Aryan Lakra, Ben Charlesworth, Fareed Ahmad, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Thomas Draca, Zahoor Khan
# Dubai Capitals
The Dubai Capitals will be proud of their efforts during the last season. After the disaster in 2023, the team made a strong comeback in 2024, reaching the finals. The side lost against the MI Emirates in the final, failing to put up a challenge. David Warner is one of the best T20 players and will look to lead the side from the front. However, his absence in the early stages of the tournament may hurt the team. Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Dasun Shanaka, Gulbadin Naib, and Joe Weatherley are experienced players and they will look to make a positive start in the season.
Squad: David Warner (c), Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Haider Ali, Raja Akif, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Zahir Khan, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Oliver Stone Adam Rossington, Aryaman Varma, Ben Dunk, Brandon McMullen, Garuka Sanketh, Farhan Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Joe Burns, Joe Weatherley, Najibullah Zadran, Obed McCoy, Scott Kuggeleijn, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Shai Hope, Shahrukh Ahmed, Zeeshan Naseer
# Sharjah Warriorz
The Sharjah Warriorz have been the weakest team in the last two seasons. They haven’t made the playoffs in the last two seasons and finished at the bottom of the points table last year. The side has struggled with inconsistency and made poor starts in both editions. Tom Kohler-Cadmore stays on as skipper, and he will look to get the best performance from his players this year. They have a good balance in their batting and bowling strengths with players like Johnson Charles, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Adil Rashid, and Ashton Agar. It will be interesting to see if they can make a good start and go the distance.
Squad: Tom Kohler-Cadmore (c), Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Adil Rashid, Ashton Agar, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Sams, Ethan D' Souza, Harmeet Singh, Jason Roy, Karim Janat, Keemo Paul, Matthew Wade, Rohan Mustafa, Tim Seifert, Traveen Mathew, Virandeep Singh
# Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders made the playoffs last year with good performances. However, it was a poor show from the team in the Eliminator, where they suffered a big loss against the Dubai Capitals. Sunil Narine is an experienced campaigner and shall look to get the best out of his players in this tournament. They have a strong batting line-up with players like Charith Asalanka, Gudakesh Motie, Kyle Mayers, Phil Salt, and Roston Chase. The side will need to use its batting strength and make a good start to the tournament.
Squad: Sunil Narine (c), Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Gous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Michael Pepper, Gudakesh Motie, Ibrar Ahmad, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Phil Salt, Roston Chase, Shahid Iqbal Bhutta, Sufiyan Muqeem, Terrance Hinds, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
We are in the second half of January, and the T20 carnival continues. As the Big Bash League and Super Smash enter their most crucial stage, we are in the third season of the International League T20. The tournament will coincide with the SA20 and the Bangladesh Premier League, making it an action-packed month for cricket fans worldwide. International League T20 had a great start in the last two seasons, where we witnessed competitive cricket on the field as some of the best players in the world fought hard. The tournament has gotten bigger and more competitive this year, with the best players in the shortest format making their way to UAE to become part of this edition.
)
