Fakhar Zaman, Jason Roy to play in UAE's ILT20 next year

The DP World International League T20’s Season 3 is set to be full of high octane cricket as some of the biggest names in the game have joined the six franchises as new signings.

The window to sign new players began in June and concluded on Sunday, September 15.

The third season of the UAE's IPL-style T20 league will run from January 11 to February 9, 2025, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Season 3 will have international T20 stars like Jason Roy (Sharjah Warriorz), Fakhar Zaman (Desert Vipers), Shai Hope (Dubai Capitals), Lockie Ferguson (Desert Vipers), Roston Chase (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Matthew Wade (Sharjah Warriorz), Ibrahim Zadran (Gulf Giants) and Romario Shepherd (MI Emirates).

England’s star all-rounder Gus Atkinson (Sharjah Warriorz) returns to the competition after appearing for the Vipers in Season 1. The right-arm pacer grabbed 34 wickets in six Tests of the 2024 English summer.

Fast bowler Tom Curran will represent Season 1 champions Gulf Giants.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, who played the Eliminator in Season 2, are set to enter Season 3 with a powerful squad. They have been bolstered by the inclusion of West Indies stars Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie, a left-arm spinner.

Both Chase and Motie were part of the West Indies team in this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and produced some impressive performances for the tournament hosts.

ADKR have also signed upcoming Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, USA all-rounder Hassan Khan (former Pakistan U19 captain) and West Indies medium-pacer Terrance Hinds.

Season 1 finalists Desert Vipers have further strengthened their squad with some exciting signings. Pakistan opener Fakhar had an outstanding ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2023 and was also part of the national team at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson will add real firepower to the Vipers’ attack in Season 3.

English trio Dan Lawrence, Max Holden (Dubai Capitals – Season 2) and David Payne are the other three Vipers signings for Season 3.

Season 2 finalists Dubai Capitals are set to enter Season 3 with a formidable squad. West Indies wicketkeeper batter Shai Hope adds depth to the batting reserves. Hope has an incredible ODI record – 124 matches, 16 centuries at 50.26. Hope also represented the side in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay who was one of the star performers in Sri Lanka’s recent ODI series win over India, star Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, West Indies left-arm pacer Obed McCoy, Australia batter Joe Burns, who is now eligible to represent Italy, are among Capitals’ other new signings.

The winners of the inaugural season Gulf Giants have added the prolific Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran in their Season 3 squad.

England fast bowler Tymal Mills, Ireland pacer Mark Adair, Afghanistan spinner Wahidullah Zadran, England top-order batter Adam Lyth and Curran are the other Season 3 new signings for Giants.

Defending champions MI Emirates have added all-round strength to their impressive squad by signing star West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd, a proven match winner both with his pace bowling and big-hitting batting in the T20 format. England wicketkeeper batter Tom Banton (Gulf Giants Season 1, Dubai Capitals Season 2) and Afghanistan left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad are among the other MI Emirates new signings.

The Sharjah Warriorz have assembled a star-studded squad via new signings for Season 3 spearheaded by the English stars Jason Roy, Adil Rashid and Atkinson. Australia wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade also adds rich experience and pedigree to the side.

Teams can add more players or replacements to their squads upon clearance from the ILT20 Technical Committee. Teams can also add additional UAE players to their squads via a Draft which will take place after the conclusion of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament next month.

The six DP World ILT20 Season 3 squads as of 19 September 2024:

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

New signees: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Gudakesh Motie, Hassan Khan, Roston Chase and Terrance Hinds.

Retentions: Aditya Shetty, Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Ghous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Michael Pepper and Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers

New signees: Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson and Max Holden.

Retentions: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Luke Wood, Michael Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri and Wanindu Hasaranga.

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