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DUBAI: The Dubai International Stadium transformed into a vibrant theatre on Friday, with loud Indian music filling the air, making media personnel, fans, and even ground staff groove to Bollywood beats. From “Kudi Mainu Kehndi” to “Laal Peeli Akhiyaan”, the deafening tunes played by DJs, accompanied by dancers in glittering outfits, and colorful lights piercing the skies, set the stage for the ILT20 Season 3 opener.
The excitement builds as the highly anticipated third season of ILT20 is set to dazzle cricket fans worldwide. The action kicks off on Saturday with a thrilling clash between defending champions MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals, a rematch of the Season 2 final, at the iconic Dubai International Stadium. Following two spectacular seasons, this year’s tournament is primed to be bigger, bolder, and more exhilarating than ever before.
The atmosphere grew even livelier as fans and volunteers cheered loudly, whistling, when the six team captains walked onto the field for a pre-tournament photoshoot. The theme for the shoot was “groundsmen”.
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The captains — Nicholas Pooran (MI Emirates), Tim Southee (Sharjah Warriorz), Sikandar Raza (Dubai Capitals), Sunil Narine (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Lockie Ferguson (Desert Vipers), and James Vince (Gulf Giants) — took on the roles of groundsmen, handling everything from pitch rollers to water pipes, levelling the grass with machines, and marking the crease with paint. They posed for photos with the golden trophy placed at the center of the stadium.
Following the shoot, West Indies legend Ian Bishop welcomed the captains to the conference room, where they shared their thoughts on the opening clash.
Adding to the excitement, legendary pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar, the ILT20 Tournament Ambassador, made a stylish entrance in a black suit. Before discussing the league, Akhtar humorously reminded Bishop that the former West Indies star was his maiden Test wicket.
“This season, the ILT20 is larger than ever before, the kind of colours and hard work that went into it last year was amazing. It’s good to see people tune in and engage with the tournament. I’m sure this season will be even better,” Akhtar said.
A total of fifteen tournament matches will be held at the Dubai International Stadium, while Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Cricket Stadium will host 11 matches, and eight matches will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
This month-long cricket festival will feature some of the world’s top cricketers, including David Warner (Dubai Capitals), Jason Holder (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Shimron Hetmyer (Gulf Giants), Phil Salt (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sharjah Warriorz), Sam Curran (Desert Vipers), Jake Fraser-McGurk (Dubai Capitals), Tim David (Gulf Giants), Fazalhaq Farooqi (MI Emirates), Adil Rashid (Sharjah Warriorz), Fakhar Zaman (Desert Vipers), Roston Chase (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Matthew Wade (Sharjah Warriorz), Ibrahim Zadran (Gulf Giants), Alex Hales (Desert Vipers), Sherfane Rutherford (Desert Vipers), Rovman Powell (Dubai Capitals), and Chris Jordan (Gulf Giants).
CRAZY EVENING
Ahead of the tournament’s opening clash, Bollywood superstars Shahid Kapoor, Pooja Hegde, and Sonam Bajwa will light up the stage with a spectacular performance at the grand launch.
The opening ceremony will be hosted by renowned Bollywood producer and actor Jackky Bhagnani, along with Ridhima Pathak.
CAPTAINS’ TAKE
Gulf Giants’ fast bowler Tymal Mills, who spoke at the press conference on behalf of his captain James Vince, is confident that the team can replicate their success from the inaugural edition. Vince’s side triumphed over Desert Vipers in the summit clash to secure their maiden title in 2023.
“I am really excited for the first game. It is my first time working with Andy Flower who is one of most successful coaches in franchise cricket. We’ve had a great week getting to know each other and we’re looking forward to the competition. We have many guys who have played for a long time, and we have won the competition in the first season, so a lot of us know how to win. We have high expectations and will hopefully lift the trophy,” Mills said.
When asked if MI Emirates would be able to defend their title, captain Nicholas Pooran quickly responded, stating, “The team takes winning seriously.”
“I have been a part of the competition, since the inception. We take winning very seriously and are eager to get the tournament underway, go out there, and perform. We also understand what it takes to win. As a franchise, it’s important to have a strong core, and we’re really pleased to have retained a great unit, including somebody like UAE’s Muhammed Waseem. He has done very well for us and we are keen to watch him grow further as player, batter and leader,” Pooran said.
Dubai Capitals captain and Zimbabwe’s star cricketer Sikandar Raza, who was named the most valuable player and Red Belt winner in Season 2, is determined to put his past performances behind him and start afresh in the third edition of the ILT20.
“This is my third year with the Dubai Capitals, and it’s great to be with them again. Winning the MVP award last year was nice, but it would have been even better to lift the trophy. Having nine international players in the playing eleven certainly makes it one of the toughest leagues in the world. Hopefully, we can take that extra step this year, building on the lessons we learned last season,” Raza said.
Sunil Narine praised his team’s composition and made it clear that their sole focus this year is on winning the title.
“We have our eyes on the prize. As a captain, you have do it your own way, I think it’s a work in progress but I’m getting better and better at it. A key factor for us will be the powerplay batting and bowling and how we perform in those phases, but we have quality players and we’re looking forward to having a good start,” the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders skipper said.
Taking the reins as captain in his debut season, Sharjah Warriorz’s Tim Southee expressed confidence in his team’s potential and highlighted their strong ambitions.
“It’s a great tournament, I have watched from afar and can’t wait to get on in this season. My goal is always to try and contribute to the team’s success and offer some experience to the younger players, while always learning from some of the others,” Southee said.
Lockie Ferguson expressed his excitement about taking on the leadership role in his debut season with the Desert Vipers.
“It’s great to be here with so many players that I have played alongside and against in my career. It’s a beautiful part of the world and we are very looked after here. I am looking forward to a new role as a leader and putting my own spin on it. Fortunately, we have got a lot of experience on the team, and I am looking forward to getting to know the UAE players as well,” Ferguson said.
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