The DP World ILT20’s partnership with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation is already paying dividends on the international stage. Saudi Arabia won all five of their matches to finish as champions of the Sub-Regional Asia B Qualifier for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 in Malaysia, the national side’s DP World ILT20 players looked back on their time in the league as valuable preparation.
Ishtiaq Ahmed, who represented the Gulf Giants last season and was named Player of the Match against Hong Kong for his 4 for 25, said: Working with Shane Bond at the Gulf Giants changed the way I think about my bowling. He helped me understand how to plan for different batters and conditions, and those conversations stayed with me.
When you have bowled at world-class players in the nets at the DP World ILT20, you go into international matches with more belief. I am proud of the way the team played in Malaysia, and I am looking forward to joining the Desert Vipers for Season 5.
Zain Ul Abidin, who represented MI Emirates last season, said:
“Being part of the MI Emirates dressing room with players like Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al Hasan was a huge learning experience. Bowling to them in the nets and asking questions every day taught me a lot about executing under pressure. We promised ourselves that we would bring those lessons back to Saudi Arabia and share them with the rest of the squad, and I believe that showed in Malaysia. I am grateful to return to MI Emirates for Season 5 and keep improving.”
Usman Najeeb, who was part of the Dubai Capitals squad last season and returns to the franchise for Season 5, said: “My time at the Dubai Capitals taught me how much work goes into performing at the highest level. Munaf Patel spent a lot of time with me on the basics of my bowling and my preparation, and bowling to players like Rovman Powell and Dasun Shanaka in the nets showed me where I needed to improve.”
Notably, two of the Qualifier’s top five wicket-takers were DP World ILT20 players: Ishtiaq Ahmed claimed seven wickets and Zain Ul Abidin six. Saudi Arabia’s presence in the league will continue in DP World ILT20 Season 5, with six players set to feature. Ishtiaq Ahmed joins the Desert Vipers, while Abdul Mannan Ali, Usman Najeeb and Zain Ul Abidin return with the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals and MI Emirates respectively. Imtiaz Khan and Mohammad Saqib join the Gulf Giants and Sharjah Warriorz.
Mohammad Saqib said: I am very excited to be joining the Sharjah Warriorz for DP World ILT20 Season 5. I have seen how much my teammates have grown from their time in the league, and I want to make the most of the same opportunity.
DP World ILT20 Season 5 will feature some of the game’s biggest stars, including Moeen Ali, Usman Tariq and Finn Allen (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Babar Azam, Shimron Hetmyer and Naseem Shah (Desert Vipers), Faf du Plessis, Marcus Stoinis and Mustafizur Rahman (Dubai Capitals), Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and David Miller (Gulf Giants), Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Fazalhaq Farooqi (MI Emirates), and Mohammad Nabi, Sikandar Raza and Adil Rashid (Sharjah Warriorz).
DP World ILT20 Season 5 Squads
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Abdul Mannan Ali, Abdullah Tarakhail, Ajay Kumar, Alishan Sharafu, Amshi De Silva, Andre Fletcher, Arab Gul, Colin Munro, Finn Allen, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrar Ahmed, Jakeem Pollard, Jason Holder, Lorcan Tucker, Matthew Tromp, Michael Pepper, Moeen Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Qais Ahmad, Ravija Sandaruwan, Sunil Narine, Usman Tariq
Desert Vipers
Abdullah Ahmadzai, Andries Gous, Babar Azam, Bilal Tahir, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Fakhar Zaman, Harry Tector, Hassan Nawaz, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Joe Clarke, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naseem Shah, Nilansh Keswani, Saleem Safi, Sanjay Pahal, Shadab Khan, Shimron Hetmyer, Vriitya Aravind, Wali Muhammad
Dubai Capitals
Aayan Khan, Anudeep Chenthamara, Darwish Rasooli, Dasun Shanaka, Faf du Plessis, Haider Ali, Hassan Khan, Karim Janat, Luke Wood, Marcus Stoinis, Mark Adair, Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz, Matt Potts, Max Holden, Muhammad Arfan, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Phil Salt, Rovman Powell, Sediqullah Atal, Tom Moores, Usman Najeeb, Zuhaib Zubair
Gulf Giants
Alick Athanaze, Alzarri Joseph, Awais Ahmed, Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, Curtis Campher, David Miller, David Wiese, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Razzaq, Heinrich Klaasen, Ibrahim Zadran, Imran Mir, Imtiaz Khan, Liam Livingstone, Matiullah Khan, Meet Bhavsar, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sagar Kalyan, Shamar Joseph, Shubham Ranjane, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wahidullah Zadran
MI Emirates
Allah Ghazanfar, Asa Tribe, Chris Jordan, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, James Coles, Jonny Bairstow, Jordan Thompson, Kusal Perera, Lizaad Williams, Mohamed Shafeeq, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Raizal Nadir Nather Shah, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Ross Adair, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Sherfane Rutherford, Wasim Akram, Zain Ul Abidin, Zahoor Khan
Sharjah Warriorz
Adam Milne, Adil Rashid, Ali Aamer Naseer, Arunraj Selvaraj, Brandon McMullen, Craig Overton, Fareed Malik, George Dockrell, George Linde, James Rew, James Vince, Junaid Siddique, Logan van Beek, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Saqib, Nabeel Aziz, Paul Walter, Richard Gleeson, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Sikandar Raza, Tanish Suri, Tom Banton, Waqar Salamkheil
DP World International League T20 Season 5 – Tournament schedule – all timings are local timings – Gulf Standard Time
Saturday, 21 November – Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates – 6:30pm, Dubai
Sunday, 22 November – Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants – 2:00pm, Sharjah
Sunday, 22 November – Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – 6:30pm, Dubai
Monday, 23 November – Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Tuesday, 24 November – Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates – 6:30pm, Dubai
Wednesday, 25 November – Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers – 6:30pm, Dubai
Thursday, 26 November – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Friday, 27 November – Sharjah Warriorz vs Dubai Capitals – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Saturday, 28 November – MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers – 2:00pm, Abu Dhabi
Saturday, 28 November – Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals – 6:30pm, Dubai
Sunday, 29 November – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz – 2:00pm, Abu Dhabi
Sunday, 29 November – Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants – 6:30pm, Dubai
Monday, 30 November – MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, 1 December – Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriorz – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Wednesday, 2 December – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers – 2:00pm, Abu Dhabi
Wednesday, 2 December – Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates – 6:30pm, Dubai
Thursday, 3 December – Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – 6:30pm, Dubai
Friday, 4 December – Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriorz – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Saturday, 5 December – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Sunday, 6 December – MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriorz – 2:00pm, Abu Dhabi
Sunday, 6 December – Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals – 6:30pm, Dubai
Monday, 7 December – MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, 8 December – Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriorz – 6:30pm, Dubai
Wednesday, 9 December – Sharjah Warriorz vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Thursday, 10 December – Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants – 6:30pm, Dubai
Friday, 11 December – Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Saturday, 12 December – Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – 6:30pm, Dubai
Sunday, 13 December – MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals – 2:00pm, Abu Dhabi
Sunday, 13 December – Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers – 6:30pm, Dubai
Monday, 14 December – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Wednesday, 16 December – Qualifier 1: Seed 1 vs Seed 2 – 6:30pm, Abu Dhabi
Thursday, 17 December – Eliminator: Seed 3 vs Seed 4 – 6:30pm, Dubai
Friday, 18 December – Qualifier 2: Loser of Q1 vs Winner of Eliminator – 6:30pm, Sharjah
Sunday, 20 December – Final: Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2 – 6:30pm, Dubai
