The dates for the fifth edition of the ILT20 have been announced, with the next season of the competition to start on November 22, 2026.
The six-team tournament will see 34-matches played across almost a month of action, with the final set to take place on December 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. This is a continuation of the window used for last year's competition, which saw the league moved to be played in December to avoid clashing with the SA20, BBL AND BPL. The three previous editions of the league were played in a January-February window.
The final of the fourth edition of the tournament earlier this year was played in front of a packed stadium, which saw Desert Vipers claim their first trophy after securing a 46-run win over MI Emirates. Vipers captain Sam Curran played a pivotal role in his side's win, scoring an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls to put a total of 182 on the board. David Payne and Naseem Shah then took three wickets apiece in the chase to bowl Emirates out for 136.
Speaking on the announcements of the dates for the next edition of the competition, ILT20 CEO David White said: “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.”
Last year, ILT20 entered into a partnership with the Saudi Arabian and Kuwait cricket boards which could see future matches held in Saudi Arabia. No date has yet been announced for when that could be, but the partnership also means that each franchise is required to sign at least one player from Saudi Arabia.
The competition also held its first player-auction in 2025, moving away from the draft system that was used for previous editions. The 2025/26 edition featured some of the biggest stars of the T20 game, including Andre Russell, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine.
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