The UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20) returns for Season 5 later this year and is set to run from November 22 to December 20, 2026. 

The tournament, played by six franchise teams, will once again feature 34 games in total. These include 30 games in the league phase, along with four playoff games. Season 5 will once again be played across three venues - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, with the final set to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, like how it has been for the last four seasons.

Before the start of Season 4, ILT20 made a conscious decision to move its window from January-February to December-January. This year, however, the tournament has been scheduled even earlier to avoid overlapping with other T20 tournaments that are played around the world, like the SA20 in South Africa. 

Desert Vipers are the defending ILT20 champions, defeating MI Emirates in the final by 46 runs to claim their maiden title. England’s Sam Curran was the star of the show, hitting an unbeaten 74 to help his side post an unattainable total. He was not only declared Player of the Match in the final, but he also won Player of the Tournament whilst finishing as the leading runs-scorer. 

“We are pleased to confirm the DP World International League T20 Season 5 window. The biggest cricketing spectacle in the Gulf region will be played from Sunday, 22 November to Sunday, 20 December 2026. We are delighted with Season 4’s success. The broadcast numbers, spectators’ interest and the participation of the biggest T20 stars made the tournament a remarkable success as the quality of the league grew further, CEO of DP World ILT20 David White said in the announcement statement. 

“The DP World ILT20 continues to make massive strides and our strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia Cricket Federation and Kuwait Cricket are already making a big impact. This year, these partnerships will be consolidated further through our development tournaments which will be played in both countries prior to Season 5. The DP World ILT20 Season 4 Player Auction was a great success as well and we are already gearing up for this year’s auction. There are a number of exciting announcements and initiatives that will be revealed in the coming days,” he added.

A host of superstar players have applied their traits in ILT20 over the past four seasons. These include the likes of Curran, Jame Vince, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik and Rashid Khan, to name a few.