BT Sport will broadcast the first edition of the International League T20 (ILT20), the United Arab Emirates’ franchise league featuring some of the world’s best T20 players.
The six-team competition will take place across January and February in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the UAE, with every match shown live on BT Sport.
Here’s everything you need to know about the brand new competition.
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When is that?
The ILT20 starts on Friday 13 January, with the final scheduled for Sunday 12 February.
The first match is between Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium.
Which teams are involved?
Six teams will compete for the inaugural ILT20 trophy: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriors.
Which players are involved?
A number of high-profile players have signed up, including Joe Root who has been rested for England’s upcoming ODI series in South Africa.
The former England Test captain will play for Dubai Capitals in his first appearance in an overseas T20 competition since the 2018-19 Big Bash League in Australia.
A whole host of English stars will appear alongside Root, including Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Dawid Malan, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Rehan Ahmed.
Other notable names include Trent Boult, Marcus Stoinis, Imran Tahir, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Mohammad Nabi and Kieron Pollard.
Nine of the 11 players in each team can be from overseas, significantly more than most of the world’s major T20 leagues.
Former England Test captain Root will play for Dubai Capitals
Full lineups:
Knight Riders of Abu Dhabi
Coach: TBA
Captain: Sunil Narine
Andre Russell, Jonny Bairstow, Paul Stirling, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Colin Ingram, Akeal Hosein, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ravi Rampaul, Raymond Reifer, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, Matiullah Khan, Fahad Nawaz, Sabir Ali, Zawar Farid
Capital cities of Dubai
Coach: Phil Simmons
Captain: Rovman Powell
Dushmantha Chameera, Hazratullah Zazai, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dan Lawrence, Blessing Muzarabani, Isuru Udana, George Munsey, Fred Klaassen, Hazrat Luqman, Chirag Suri, Jash Ginyani, Raja Akif Ullah Khan, Robin Uthappa, Ravi Bopara, Yusuf Pathan, Joe Root, Ollie White
Gulf giants
Coach: Andy Flower
Captain: James Vince
Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Tom Banton, Dominic Drakes, David Wiese, Jamie Overton, Richard Gleeson, Rehan Ahmed, Wayne Madsen, Liam Dawson, Qais Ahmad, Ollie Pope, Aayan Khan, Sanchit Sharma, CP Rizwaan, Ashwant Valthapa
Australian Marcus Stoinis has signed a contract with Sharjah Warriors
MI Emirates
Coach: Shane Bond
Captain: Kieron Pollard
Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Andre Fletcher, Imran Tahir, Samit Patel, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Najibullah Zadran, Zahir Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Brad Wheal, Bas de Leede, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Craig Overton, Tom Lammonby, Dan Mousley, McKenny Clarke, Lorcan Tucker
Sharjah Warriors
Coach: Paul Farbrace
Captain: Moeen Ali
Evin Lewis, Dawid Malan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Chris Benjamin, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Woakes, JJ Smit, Mark Deyal, Noor Ahmad, Paul Walter, Naveen-ul-Haq, Bilal Khan, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Joe Denly, Marcus Stoinis
Desert snakes
Coach: James Foster
Captain: Colin Munro
Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Ruben Trumpelmann, Sam Billings, Sheldon Cottrell, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Mark Watt, Tymal Mills, Adam Lyth, Rohan Mustafa, Sheraz Ahmad, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly , Gus Atkinson, Dinesh Chandimal, Jake Lintott
England World Cup winner Moeen Ali will captain Sharjah Warriors
What is the format?
There are 34 games, with six teams playing each other twice in double-headers between Friday 13 January and Monday 6 February. Two points will be awarded for a win and one for a tie.
The top two will face off for a place in the final, with the loser playing the winner of the eliminator match between third and fourth place for a place in the final on Sunday 12 February.
How can I watch it?
BT Sport will broadcast every match from the competition live on TV and online at btsport.com and the BT Sport app.
Our full cricket schedule can be found here.