Chandigarh, 10 January 2025: The DP World ILT20 Season 3, to be broadcasted exclusively on ZEE will begin on Saturday, 11 January at the Dubai International Stadium with the Dubai Capitals hosting the defending champions MI Emirates in the tournament opener from 8:45 pm IST on Saturday, 11 January.
The teams can make reinforcements or replacements during Season 3 in case of injuries or non-availability of their selected players. Season 3 of the DP World International League T20 runs from 11 January 2025 to 9 February 2025. A total of 34 matches will be played in the month-long tournament.
Amongst the major changes in the squads in the lead-up to the tournament opener, England opener Phil Salt and Pakistan left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem have joined the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Salt has been included as a Wildcard while Sufiyan has been added to the squad following the unavailability of Hassan Khan.
Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar will play for the MI Emirates squad while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth will play for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
Commenting on the announcement, Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer – Digital & Broadcast Revenue – Zee Entertainment Enterprise Limited, said, “ZEE is delighted to unveil the impressive squad line-up for Season 3, featuring some of the world’s finest and most popular players. With iconic locations like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, world-class infrastructure, and six powerhouse franchises, we aim to solidify the league as one of the most widely followed global cricket events. We have significantly expanded our broadcast reach by adding five more linear channels, including South Indian channels, and are excited to present this thrilling cricketing spectacle to fans across the world.”
Cricket fans can watch this action-packed tournament on ZEE’s most widely distributed and viewed 15 linear TV channels: &Pictures SD, &Pictures HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema 2, Zee Action, Zee Biskope, Zee Zest SD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Telugu HD, Zee Thirai, Zee Tamil HD, Zee Kannada HD, Zee Zest HD, &Flix SD and &Flix HD. It’s also free to view on one of India’s leading OTT platform – ZEE5. Aiming to capture a viewership of 230-million for the upcoming season, ZEE will expand its reach by including South Indian channels, offering a month-long cricket carnival experience.
The six DP World ILT20 Season 3 squads as of Thursday, 9 January 2025:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
New signees: Gudakesh Motie, Ibrar Ahmad, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Phil Salt (Wildcard), Roston Chase, Shahid Iqbal Bhutta, Sufiyan Muqeem, Terrance Hinds and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
Retentions: Aditya Shetty, Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Gous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Michael Pepper and Sunil Narine.
Desert Vipers
New signees: Dan Lawrence (Wildcard), David Payne, Dhruv Parashar, Fakhar Zaman, Kushal Malla (replacement for injured Bas de Leede), Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Max Holden and Sam Curran (played for Vipers in Season 2 as a wildcard).
Retentions: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Luke Wood, Michael Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri and Wanindu Hasaranga.
Dubai Capitals
New signees: Adam Rossington (Wildcard), Aryaman Varma (signed as replacement player for Jake Fraser McGurk), Ben Dunk, Brandon McMullen, Garuka Sanketh (signed as replacement player), Farhan Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Joe Burns, Joe Weatherley, Najibullah Zadran, Obed McCoy, Scott Kuggeleijn, Sharafuddin Ashraf (signed as replacement player), Shai Hope, Shahrukh Ahmed and Zeeshan Naseer.
Retentions: Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Haider Ali, Raja Akif, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Zahir Khan, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Oliver Stone.
Gulf Giants
New signees: Adam Lyth, Dominic Drakes, Daniel Worrall (played for Giants in Season 2 as a wildcard player), Dushan Hemantha (signed as a replacement player), Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Adair, Ollie Robinson (wicketkeeper-batter), Tim David, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Muhammad Saghir Khan, Muhammad Uzair Khan and Wahidullah Zadran.
Retentions: Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Jordan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gerhard Erasmus, James Vince, Jordan Cox, Mohammad Zuhaib Zubair, Rehan Ahmed, and Shimron Hetmyer
MI Emirates
New signees: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Alzarri Joseph, Aryan Lakra, Ben Charlesworth, Fareed Ahmad, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Thomas Draca, and Zahoor Khan.
Retentions: Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige and Waqar Salamkheil.
Sharjah Warriorz
New signees: Tim Southee (captain), Adam Milne, Adil Rashid (played for Warriorz in Season 2 as a Wildcard pick), Ashton Agar, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Sams, Ethan D’ Souza, Harmeet Singh, Jason Roy, Karim Janat, Keemo Paul, Matthew Wade, Rohan Mustafa, Tim Seifert, Traveen Mathew and Virandeep Singh.
Retentions: Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.