ILT20 teams announce retentions and major new signings ahead of upcoming season
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The fourth season of the International T20 League (ILT20) will be played in the UAE, and the teams have announced their set of retained as well as newly signed players. The upcoming season of the ILT20 has been brought forward into the December-January window to avoid any clash with the ICC T20 World Cup.
The teams that have now announced their squads, comprising both retained and newly signed players.
Players retained by franchises ahead of the upcoming ILT20 season
Starting with the defending champions, Dubai Capitals, they have announced their retentions, which include West Indies batters Rovman Powell and Shai Hope and Afghan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib. The Sri Lankan duo of Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka have also been retained.
They have signed another Afghan, this time a spinner, Waqar Salamkheil, English pacer Luke Wood, and Muhammad Jawadullah for the upcoming season.
Next comes the MI Emirates, who have decided to retain Afghan spinner AM Ghazanfar, Romario Shepherd, and Muhammad Waseem. They have also picked two new faces in Chris Woakes and Kamindu Mendis for the upcoming season.
Desert Vipers have decided to retain most of their players, since they retained the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dan Lawrence, and more, while USA wicket-keeper Andries Gous is their new pick for the season.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have followed their tradition to retain Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. They have also retained Phil Salt and more while making some crucial additions to the side, which include Liam Livingstone, Sherfane Rutherford, and Alex Hales.
Alex Hales, who has played over 500 T20s, has scored 13,756 runs in T20 cricket and is close to surpassing Chris Gayle, who sits at the top of the list with 14,562 runs. The veteran features in the ILT20, MLC, and more.
The Sharjah Warriors might have made some calls in retention with Kusal Mendis, Tim Southee, and Johnson Charles; however, their new signings look exciting in the form of Sikander Raza, Tim David, Saurabh Netravalka,r and Maheesh Theekshana.
New Season, New arrival alert in ILT20
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. New: Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone and Sherfane Rutherford
Desert Vipers: Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Max Holden, Sam Curran and Wanindu Hasaranga. New: Andries Gous.
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MI Emirates' Allah Ghazanfar was also picked by the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025
Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar, who has been retained by the MI Emirates for the fourth season in the ILT20, was also picked by the Mumbai Indians for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League.
However, the golden opportunity for the Afghan youngster was wasted due to an injury. Several Afghan spinners like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and Noor Ahmad have gained stardom after featuring in the IPL.
Anyway, the upcoming season of the ILT20 will mark a major opportunity for the youngster to audition for the upcoming seasons of the IPL as well as other global T20 leagues.
Tagged:
ILT20 International T20 League Dubai Capitals Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Desert Vipers Gulf Giants MI Emirates Sharjah Warriors
