Dubai,(PNP): The six DP World International League T20 franchises have retained a total of 69 players for tournament’s third season which will be played from Saturday, 11 January to Sunday, 9 February 2025 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The window for retaining players was opened on 1 June with the teams given two weeks to submit the list of the retained players. Season 3 is set to see a number of world-class and seasoned T20 players from around the world.
Amongst the 69 players, 26 players were parts of various ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squads.
The retained players include T20 heavyweights like Andre Russell, David Willey, Sunil Narine (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Alex Hales, Azam Khan, Muhammad Amir, Sherfane Rutherford, Wanindu Hasaranga (Desert Vipers), Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza (Dubai Capitals), Chris Jordan, James Vince, Shimron Hetmyer (Gulf Giants), Akeal Hosein, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, (MI Emirates), Johnson Charles and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Sharjah Warriors).
Each of the six franchises had retained two UAE players each.
The UAE players retained for Season 3 include Aditya Shetty and Alishan Sharafu (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Ali Naseer and Tanish Suri (Desert Vipers), Haider Ali and Raja Akif (Dubai Capitals), Aayan Afzal Khan and Mohammad Zohaib Zubair (Gulf Giants), Muhammad Rohid Khan and Muhammad Waseem (MI Emirates), Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Jawadullah (Sharjah Warriors).
Following the completion of the player’s retention window, the teams can now sign new players in the ongoing Player Acquisition Window which will stay open till 15 September.
Each franchise can sign minimum two additional UAE players to complete their quota of four UAE signings after the completion of the ILT20 Development Tournament which will be held in October.
