Joe Root, Shimron Hetmyer to be in action at ILT20 from January
Jul 25, 2023
Dubai [UAE], July 25 : England batter Joe Root, West Indies' explosive player Shimron Hetmyer and many other international cricket stars will be seen in action at the International League T20 (ILT20) as the tournament announced its second season sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board, starting from January 2024.
Apart from Root and Hetmyer, Sunil Narine, Alex Hales, James Vince, Trent Boult, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Chris Jordan, Dwayne Bravo, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chris Woakes are the players retained for this season.
According to a release, the second season promises enthralling cricket action in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in January and February 2024 with the finest players from the cricketing world being retained by the six franchises - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriors.
Rahul Johri, President – Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, said, “We are delighted with the overwhelming response DP World ILT20 received in its first season, generating a massive 367 million worldwide reach across TV and Digital platforms. The second season comes with an even bigger promise of an unparalleled cricketing action.”
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have retained the T20 mega star Andre Russell and last year’s captain, and the prolific spinner Sunil Narine. Other retained players include Joe Clarke, Charith Asalanka, Marchant De Lange, Ali Khan, Sabir Ali and Matiullah Khan.
Desert Vipers, the finalists of Season 1, have retained the inaugural season’s top-scorer Alex Hales and the Captain Colin Munro. Other retained players from the previous season are Wanindu Hasaranga, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Rohan Mustafa, Sheldon Cottrell, Dinesh Chandimal, Gus Atkinson and Ali Nasser.
Dubai Capitals have retained the ace West Indian player, Rovman Powell and England’s stalwart Joe Root. The franchise has also retained Dushmantha Chameera, Sikandar Raza and Raja Akifullah Khan.
Champions, Gulf Giants have retained the captain James Vince and Best Bowler of the Tournament Chris Jordan. Chris Lynn, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, Jamie Overton, Richard Gleeson, Rehan Ahmed, Gerhard Erasmus, Aayan Afzal Khan and Sanchit Sharma have also been retained by the franchise.
The release said MI Emirates retention list is led by Kieron Pollard and highest T20 wicket taker Dwayne Bravo. The other retained players from Season 1 include Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Muhammad Waseem, Zahoor Khan, Daniel Mousley, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Will Smeed, Mckenny Clarke, and Andre Fletcher.
Sharjah Warriors have retained bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes and batsman Joe Denly. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mark Deyal, Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Jawadullah are the players who have also been retained.
