Fifth edition of ILT20 to kick off in November

The season 5 of the biggest cricket league in the Gulf region – the second-most watched T20 league in the world – DP World International League T20 will begin on Sunday, 22 November 2026.

The six-team, 34-match tournament, which has featured some of the biggest T20 stars over the years, will climax with the Season 5 finale on Sunday, December 20, at the Dubai International Stadium.

The league moved to a December window in Season 4; the first three seasons were played in the January-February window.

Season 4 was a big success with enhanced broadcast numbers, and spectator attendance. The tournament’s final (January 4, 2026) was played in front of a packed Dubai International Stadium as the Desert Vipers collected their maiden trophy with a 46-run win over the MI Emirates.

CEO DP World ILT20 David White: “We are pleased to confirm the DP World International League T20 Season 5 window.

“The biggest cricketing spectacle in the Gulf region will be played from Sunday, November 22 to Sunday, December 20, 2026. We are delighted with Season 4’s success. The broadcast numbers, spectators’ interest and the participation of the biggest T20 stars made the tournament a remarkable success as the quality of the league grew further.

“The DP World ILT20 continues to make massive strides and our strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation and Kuwait Cricket are already making a big impact. This year, these partnerships will be consolidated further through our development tournaments which will be played in both countries prior to Season 5.

“The DP World ILT20 Season 4 Player Auction was a great success as well and we are already gearing up for this year’s auction. There are a number of exciting announcements and initiatives that will be revealed in the coming days.”

DP World ILT20’s Season 4 featured some of the biggest T20 stars including: Sam Curran (Desert Vipers) – Player of the Tournament and winner of the Best Batter award (Red and Green Belts); Waqar Salamkheil (MI Emirates) – Best Bowler and White Belt winner; and Muhammad Waseem – Best UAE Player and Blue Belt winner. The star-studded squads also featured the likes of Andre Russell, Azmatullah Omarzai, Dinesh Karthik, Pathum Nissanka, Fakhar Zaman, Jason Holder, Jason Roy, Kieron Pollard, Moeen Ali, Mohammad Nabi, Naseem Shah, Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Romario Shepherd, Shakib Al Hasan, Sikandar Raza, Sunil Narine, Tim David, and Tim Southee.

Meanwhile, the Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody says he is excited for the Desert Vipers to be involved in the invitational ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League(GSL) T20 tournament in July this year and believes it is a great opportunity for the franchise to get global traction, while also offering the UAE players international experience.

Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast Tom Moody said: “I think it is a nice reward for the franchise and the people connected, both players and staff, to showcase their skills in Guyana in this Global Super League tournament.”

Moody admitted putting together a squad for a tournament that coincides with the English and Welsh cricket season as well as international commitments was not easy: “It was a little bit tricky to put a squad together. We all know that the international calendar and domestic calendar is very full. We know this tournament is also a very short tournament, so we did our level best to have some sort of connection between the players that have represented the Desert Vipers over the last couple of years, along with some other players that were available for us, particularly out of the Caribbean, just to make the whole process seamless.”