International League T20 2025: What You Should Know About the Cricket League

What is International League T20? All You Need to Know

As a cricket fan, you've probably heard about the International League T20 (ILT20). It takes place in the United Arab Emirates and gathers some of the world's best players. You might also hear people call it the UAE International League T20.

The tournament is hosted in the cities of Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. It's quite special because International stars rub shoulders with the UAE's local cricketers.

In this article, we'll discuss more about the tournament. You'll learn about where it came from, which teams take part, how it works, and why you should care as a fan of the sport.

Birth of a Powerhouse

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) launched the International League T20 or UAE International League T20 in 2022. They formed the competition among six teams to put UAE cricket on the world map and develop local players.

The UAE already had experience hosting cricket tournaments. The IPL and PSL have played there before, so this helped a lot when setting up the ILT20. The first season was between January and February 2023, and had the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Wanindu Hasaranga.

In December 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted List A status to the tournament. It became the first Associate-run T20 league having official figures. Interestingly, the 2024 season had 348 million global unique viewers.

Teams, Players, and Format

The ILT20 is made up of six franchise teams. These teams include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals, Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, and Sharjah Warriors. Each squad mixes international superstars with UAE players.

The 2025 season had some incredible moments like Avishka Fernando smashing a 16-ball fifty, the fastest in the tournament's history. For how the tournament works, every team plays each other twice in what's called a double round-robin format. After those matches finish, the playoffs begin. Two qualifiers, an eliminator, and a final decide the champion.

Some unique ILT20 rules:

• Nine Overseas Players: Each team can have nine international players max. Other T20 leagues allow four or five.
• Local Talent Mandate: Teams must include at least one UAE player and one player from an Associate nation.
• Innovative Substitutions: A "Super Sub" can be used from seven named players.

Notably, Dubai Capitals won the 2025 International League T20 final by 4 wickets against Desert Vipers on February 9. Despite running concurrently with the Big Bash League and SA20, the UAE International League T20 events still had stadiums full of people.

Betting on International League T20 & Other Cricket Events

The ILT20 has a worldwide hype that involves fans. Apart from Qatar, the league is popular in countries like Bangladesh, a nation known for its love for cricket. Many citizens of Bangladesh and other nations extend the fun by betting on T20 matches.

However, as a prospective punter, take note that the essence of betting is winning. To make sure you make the most of your time betting on T20 and other cricket matches in Bangladesh, it is advisable to follow expert tipsters and guides. Many review sites also highlight the best online cricket betting sites in Bangladesh and checking them before choosing a bookmaker can be a great thing to do.

Clash with International Masters League T20 2025

The 2025 International Masters League T20 gained some attention. It ran from February 22 to March 16. Retired legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Shane Watson were the tournament's main attractions.

Six teams participated: India, Australia, Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, and South Africa. The 18 matches occurred in Navi Mumbai, Vadodara, and Raipur. In the end, India Masters won.

Unlike the International League T20, the International Masters League T20 2025 focused on retired and nearly retired players. It was relatively easy to attract crowds, especially during high-profile matches, thanks to its nostalgic vibe.

Games were also broadcast on Colors Cineplex and JioHotstar, so it reached millions of people. In spite of this, the ILT20’s List A status and active players made it the bigger draw.

Why the ILT20 Matters

The ILT20 is a very important part of UAE cricket. League CEO David White thought the same when he said, “This league is ICC-sanctioned, and the UAE is the first associate country to host such a league. It’s a vital part of the Emirates Cricket Board’s high-performance programme, helping raise the standard of cricket in the country.”

It’s clear that the ECB's plan to develop local players worked. You can see this with UAE players like Aayan Afzal Khan excelling in the 2024 ACC Premier Cup. Winning the tournament qualified the nation for the 2025 Asia Cup.

Meanwhile, the 2025 International Masters League T20 final saw 80,000 fans in Dubai International Stadium. The league’s broadcasts via Zee Network further reached millions of people. You can imagine the revenue boost all of these brought to the UAE’s economy.

Wrapping Up

The International League T20 is here to stay. The 2025 season showed it's got just the right amount of pull. The International Masters League T20 2025 was nostalgic, but the UAE International League T20’s active players and official stats sets it apart.

Recently, the spotlight has been on bowlers. But instead of tweaking the pitches to help them out, coach Andy Flower thinks they just need to get smarter.

“I don’t think we need to tinker too much with the wickets themselves. At the moment bowling is difficult on flat pitches, there’s no doubt. But the entertainment value is still there for a fast-bowler to operate … Mystery bowlers have become more and more important - taking pace off the ball and introducing more deception into the delivery so that you create more mishits.”

Only time will tell if the ILT20 will adopt this thinking. It could be one of the innovative trends for the league in this modern period.