The UAE T20 league was initially scheduled to start in January 2022. But it was rescheduled to be played in January and February 2023. There’s a lot of hype behind the ILT20 League even before the start of its inaugural edition. The reasons are its revolutionary rules and the amount of money involved in it. The UAE T20 league is expected to be the second highest-paying league after the Indian Premier League.
You may be surprised to know that teams can field as many as 9 foreign cricketers in their playing XI. It is significantly higher than the previously allowed number of 4 or 5 players in the other leagues. Moreover, many superstar cricketers from England, Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other countries have signed up for the league’s first season.
Cricket fans around the world are curious to know about the ILT20 league teams and ILT20 League owners. That’s why we decided to include all the details about all the teams and their owners in the upcoming UAE T20 League.
So, let’s begin.
ILT20 League Teams
The first season of the competition will feature 6 teams. 3 of these 6 teams are named after three states of the United Arab Emirates. The same three states (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah) will host the league.
Here are the names of all 6 teams:
- MI Emirates
- Sharjah Warriors
- Dubai Capitals
- Desert Vipers
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Gulf Giants
ILT20 League Owners
IPL team owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Dehli Capitals own one team each in the ILT20 League. The remaining three teams are owned by other business companies.
Let’s take a brief look at all the UAE T20 League owners:
1) Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited Owning MI Emirates
Reliance Industries is a popular company owned by India’s Mukesh Ambani, who also owns the IPL’s most successful franchise, Mumbai Indians.
2) Capri Global Capital Limited Owning Sharjah Warriors
Capri Loans is also owned by an Indian businessman, Rajesh Sharma. Capri is an India-based company that offers a variety of services to help people grow in their careers.
3) GMR Group Owning Dubai Capitals
GMR Group is a construction company owned by an Indian industrialist, GM Rao. The same group is the owner of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.
4) Lancer Capital LLC Owning Desert Vipers
The LLC organization provides several management and engineering-based services. The owner of this company and Desert Vipers franchise is Josh Welk.
5) Knight Riders Group Owning Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR)
Knight Riders Group is possessed by India’s Bollywood Superstar, Shahrukh Khan. The same group owns the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and the CPL franchise Tribano Knight Riders.
6) Adani Sportsline Owning Gulf Giants
Adani Sportsline runs multiple cricket and football academies and has also invested in many sports teams.
Here’s a quick summary of all the above discussion:
| Team | Owner | City |
| MI Emirates | Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited | None |
| Sharjah Warriors | Capri Global Capital Limited | Sharjah (UAE) |
| Dubai Capitals | GMR Group | Dubai (UAE) |
| Desert Vipers | Lancer Capital LLC | None |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Knight Riders Group | Abu Dhabi (UAE) |
| Gulf Giants | Adani Sportsline | None |
ILT20 All Teams Squads
MI Emirates were the first team to formally announce their squad. Now, all 6 UAE T20 league teams have announced their squads for the tournament.
Let’s see how the squads stack up:
1) MI Emirates
Trent Boult, Samit Patel, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Fletcher, Imran Tahir, Najibullah Zadran, Bas De Leede, Zahir Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Bradley Wheal, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan
2) Sharjah Warriors
Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Denly, Evin Lewis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, JJ Smit, Chris Benjamin, Danny Briggs, Mark Deyal, Bilal Khan, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah
3) Dubai Capitals
Joe Root, Robin Uthappa, Ravi Bopara, Yusuf Pathan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Hazratullah Zazai, Fabian Allen, Dan Lawrence, Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Niroshan Dickwella, Blessing Muzarabani, Isuru Udana, George Munsey, Fred Klaassen, Hazrat Luqman, Chirag Suri, Jash Ginyani, Raja Akif Ullah Khan
4) Desert Vipers
Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Ben Duckett, Tymal Mills, Adam Lyth, Mark Watt, Colin Munro, Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Benny Howell, Sheldon Cottrell, Sherfane Rutherford, Ruben Trumpelmann, Rohan Mustafa, Sheraz Ahmad, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Gus Atkinson, Dinesh Chandimal, Jake Lintott
5) Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR)
Jonny Bairstow, Andre Russell, Paul Stirling, Colin Ingram, Sunil Narine, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Brandon Glover, Akeal Hosein, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Matiullah Khan, Fahad Nawaz, Sabir Ali, Zawar Farid
6) Gulf Giants
Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, James Vince, Tom Banton, David Wiese, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Wayne Madsen, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Shimron Hetmyer, Dominic Drakes, Qais Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed, Aayan Khan, Sanchit Sharma, CP Rizwaan, Ashwant Valthapa
