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The second season of the UAE-based ILT20 league kicked off on Friday, January 17. The defending champions, the Gulf Giants (GG), took on the hosts, the Sharjah Warriors (SW), in the tournament opener, with the former winning the battle by 31 runs.
The exciting game got things going for what should be an amazing tournament. The ILT20 2024 received a significant boost when it was recognized as the first associate-run franchise-based tournament to receive official "List-A" status.
Despite the tournament dates clashing with several T20 leagues around the globe, including the Big Bash League (BBL), SA20 2024, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and the Super Smash, many superstars will ply their trade in the ILT20. Marquee players like David Warner, Trent Boult, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Shaheen Afridi will be in action in the tournament.
The summit clash of the league will be played on February 17 in Dubai.
With the new edition of the league just starting, let's rank all six participating teams based on the quality of their squads.
#6 Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) - 7/10
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) had a horrendous inaugural ILT20 season. They won just one of their ten league games and finished with the wooden spoon.
They would look to do much better this time around with Sunil Narine as their leader. ADKR have a great bunch of utility players, who can operate in different departments.
Their main weapon would be Andre Russell, who is a pure match-winner on his day. However, apart from Russell, they don't have any big-name batters on their roster.
In Brandon King, Laurie Evans, Sam Hain, Charith Asalanka and Joe Clarke, they have some promising names nevertheless.
Among bowlers, Narine will have to spin his magic and will work in tandem with Jake Lintott and Pakistan's Imad Wasim.
The pace battery of David Willey, Marchant De Lange, Joshua Little and Ali Khan is among the weakest in the league.
#5 Sharjah Warriors (SW) - 8/10
Sharjah Warriors (SW) had a decent squad last season but underperformed massively as they finished second last on the points table. They managed to win just three of their ten games and failed to qualify for the knockouts.
Sharjah made an overhaul after the last season and let go of their captain Moeen Ali. England's Tom Kohler-Cadmore is now their new skipper.
In their first game against Gulf Giants (GG), SW were in the game for the major chunk but fizzled out and endured a collapse. With Martin Guptill, Johnson Charles and skipper Kohler-Cadmore, they have an attacking front three. However, they lack solid options in the middle order.
Sharjah have a few Sri Lankan regulars as well including Kusal Mendis, Dilshan Madushanka and Maheesh Theekshana, who took a brilliant 4/15 in the first fixture.
A lot will be on Chris Woakes' shoulder, who will spearhead their bowling attack. Among other pace bowling options, they have Daniel Sams, James Fuller, and Christopher Sole.
#4 MI Emirates (MIE) - 8.2/10
With SA20 2024 commitments, MI Emirates (MIE) lost their skipper Kieron Pollard. In the meantime, they will be led by a swashbuckling Nicholas Pooran, who was with the franchise last season as well.
The MI Emirates have a strong bunch of players within every department and have accumulated a squad to play fearless cricket throughout the season.
They included Tim David as their wildcard player, adding more muscle and power to their stacked batting line-up. In Muhammad Waseem, they have a star local player alongside, Andre Fletcher, Will Smeed and Kusal Perera.
Two former Mumbai Indians (MI) batters Ambati Rayudu and Corey Anderson will also play for the franchise.
The bowling department will be spearheaded by none other than Trent Boult, who is likely to form a great bowling pair alongside Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi. The highest wicket-taker in T20s, Dwayne Bravo will also ply his trade for MIE.
The franchise had Rashid Khan and Imran Tahir last season but lack some quality spin options this time around. Akeal Hossein is the only notable spinner in MIE's roster.
#3 Dubai Capitals (DC) - 8.5/10
Dubai Capitals (DC) have started their campaign with a handsome win over the MI Emirates on Saturday (20 Jan). They put on an authoritative display of performance with both bat and ball and clinched the game with 23 balls remaining.
Their talisman with the bat would be none other than skipper David Warner, who will open the innings with Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Their left-right combination is expected to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament.
Dubai's middle order will be taken by the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Rovman Powell and Sam Billings. In Sikandar Raza, DC have got one of the best white-ball players in world cricket.
The T20 World Cup winner Jason Holder will bridge the gap between batters and bowlers and will add experience to a power-packed pace bowling lineup. The Capitals have a T20 specialist in Kane Richardson, who has replaced Andrew Tye for the ongoing season. Apart from this, Dushmantha Chameera, Mark Wood and slingy pacer Nuwan Thusara will also be part of the side.
Under the leadership of Warner, they have all the ingredients to go deep into the tournament.
#2 Gulf Giants - (GG) - 8.5/10
The winners of the inaugural edition of the ILT20 league, Gulf Giants (GG) would be rearing to defend their crown. They have started on the right path, asserting themselves over the Sharjah Warriors to record their first win of the season.
Last year, their skipper James Vince led the side from the front as he hammered 439 runs at an average of above 48 and ended up as the second-highest run-getter of the tournament.
He would love to do the same and would have the support of Chris Lynn, Usman Khan, Gerard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer this time around.
Two young English wicket-keepers Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox will also bolster their batting alongside power-hitter Carlos Braithwaite.
In the bowling contingent, they also have a great variety with Chris Jordan being the most experienced pacer. Rapid pace from Jamie Overton and Richard Gleeson might also come in handy for the Giants.
The spin unit will be steered by mystery tweaker Mujeeb ur Rahman and youngster Rehan Ahmed.
#1 Desert Vipers - 9/10
Last year's runners-up, the Desert Vipers, are certainly the most settled and strong-looking units among all six ILT20 franchises.
Apart from having some serious big hitters, the Vipers' squad is filled with an array of world-class bowlers, who are likely to rule the roost for the majority of the competition.
Colin Munro, their designated skipper, had an ordinary ILT20 2023 but will look to make amends this time around. However, his teammate Alex Hales was simply sensational with the bat and recorded 469 runs at a strike rate of over 151 to become the highest run-getter of the season.
For the middle-order duties, they have signed up Adam Hose and Dan Lawrence alongside their heavyweight in Sherfane Rutherford. In Rohan Mustafa and Ali Naseer, the Vipers also have two of star U.A.E. talents. Either Azam Khan or Dinesh Chandimal will be donning the wicket-keeping gloves.
While these are some great names, it is DV's all-rounders and bowling departments where the franchise has muscled up quite right this season.
While Wanindu Hasaranga was already part of the side last season, DV will now have the services of Shadab Khan and Bas de Leede as the side's premium all-rounders.
The Colin Munro-led side has a galore of left-arm pace bowling options. In the list that has Tymal Mills, Luke Wood, and Sheldon Cottrell, two big guns from Pakistan, Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi, have joined the squad.
The only specialist right-arm pacer in the team is Matheesha Pathirana. If most of the Desert Vipers' players remain available in the ongoing season, it won't come as a surprise if they go on to lift their maiden title on February 19.
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