Dubai: Ahead of the third season of the IL T20, 69 players have been retained by their respective teams including Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, David Warner and Mohammad Amir.
The third season of the tournament will begin on January 11, 2025 and will be played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah till February 9. The window for retained players opened on June 1 and teams were given two weeks to submit their list of retained players.
Defending champions MI Emirates have retained captain Pooran, Dwayne Bravo, Akeel Hossain, Kieron Pollard and Fazalhaq Farooqi while Trent Boult has not been retained.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have retained captain Narine and Russell along with players like David Willey, Charith Asalanka, Ali Khan and Andries Gaus from USA.
Desert Vipers have retained Amir, Wanindu Hasaranga, Alex Hales and Azam Khan. However, notable players from their retention list include pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mathisha Pathirana.
The Dubai Capitals, led by skipper Warner, have retained key players including Rovman Powell, Sam Billings and Jake Fraser-McGurk. England’s Joe Root and Mark Wood, who were part of their squad last year, have not been retained. The Gulf Giants have retained Shimron Hetmyer and skipper James Vince, while USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman have not found a place.
Sharjah Warriors have retained Kusal Mendis, captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles among their eight retained players.
Each of the six franchises has retained two players from the UAE. 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), Ayan Afzal Khan and Mohammad Zohaib Zubair (Gulf Giants), Muhammad Rohid Khan and Muhammad Wasim (MI Emirates), Junaid Siddiqui and Muhammad Jawadullah (Sharjah Warriors). Teams can now sign new players in the ongoing player acquisition window which will remain open till September 15. Franchises will also have to complete their quota of four UAE signings after the completion of the IL T20 Development Tournament to be held in October.
