The next season of the International League T20 (ILT20) has been advanced in order to avoid a clash with the 2026 T20 World Cup.
ILT20 season four to start in December 2025
On Wednesday (May 14), a press release from the league read: “The DP World International League T20 Season 4 will begin on Tuesday, 2 December – UAE National Day (Eid-Al-Etihad) with the six-team, 34-match tournament set to conclude with the final on Sunday, 4 January 2026.
“The biggest T20 league in the Gulf region has moved out of its traditional January-February window as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in February-March 2026.”
Since its first season in 2023, the ILT20 has always taken place across the months of January and February. This did not cause a clash with the previous T20 World Cup in 2024, as that tournament took place in June in the West Indies and USA. However, the 2026 tournament will be in February in India and Sri Lanka, in order to avoid the monsoon season as well as any potential clashes with the IPL.
ILT20 CEO: Important to give players time to prepare for national duty
ILT20 CEO David White added: “Following extensive discussions with all our stakeholders, we believe the 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 tournament window is ideal for the DP World International League T20 Season 4.
“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in early February hence it was important for us to start and finish Season 4 well before the tournament as it will allow the players playing both the DP World ILT20 and the T20 World Cup to prepare for national duty. In addition, we feel that the December-January window will provide the teams’ the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players.”
Read more: Explained: Why Mustafizur Rahman might not play IPL 2025 despite replacement deal with DC
The ILT20 is a relatively new competition, and is organised by the Emirates Cricket Board, not a traditional cricketing power. However, the league has been able to attract some of the best players in the world thanks to the relaxed rules around overseas player involvement – up to nine can play in one team, whereas this is limited to roughly three or four in other countries.
In the 2024 season, the likes of James Vince, Nicholas Pooran, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Alex Hales, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Wanindu Hasaranga and Fazalhaq Farooqi all played significant roles for their franchises.
Image credit: ILT20.ae
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