ILT20 2024: Retained and Released Players

The Gulf Giants, champions of the inaugural ILT20, and the Desert Vipers, runners-up, have retained the majority of their players for the second season, slated to begin on January 13, 2024. MI Emirates has also followed suit, while the bottom three teams from the previous season – Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriors, and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – have opted for significant changes in their line-ups.

Notably absent from the list of retained players are Moeen Ali (formerly with the Warriors) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (formerly with the Capitals), as they have both moved to the SA20 league, which will run concurrently with the ILT20, alongside the BBL and Bangladesh Premier League.

Andy Flower, the head coach of the Gulf Giants, emphasized the importance of continuity and stability, retaining 11 players while keeping the backend team intact. Flower also highlighted the need for evolution and improvement, stating that the performance and fitness of the retained players would be evaluated carefully to ensure they are still the best fit for the team. Concurrently, the team will actively scout for new talent to foster healthy competition and drive the retained players to elevate their game.

Tom Moody, the Vipers’ director of cricket, expressed the objective of retaining a strong core of players who contributed to reaching the final in the inaugural ILT20 season. Moody acknowledged the challenges of the retention process and the importance of flexibility for new signings to foster growth and development within the squad.

The maximum total salary cap for the second season remains unchanged at US$2.5 million, with a minimum spend of US$1.5 million. Teams can now start signing new players, with the window for overseas players closing on July 31. The league’s press statement clarified that there is no restriction on the number of retentions for international players, while franchises can retain a maximum of two UAE players.

Aside from Moeen and Rajapaksa, the retained players include several prominent names from the first season, such as Alex Hales, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sikandar Raza, Rovman Powell, Chris Jordan, James Vince, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Chris Woakes.

In response to the increasing number of T20 leagues causing a player drain, the ICC’s working group has recommended a cap of no more than four overseas players, including retired internationals, in a playing XI for T20 leagues. This recommendation will be discussed at the ICC’s annual general meeting, which commenced on Monday in Durban. The recommendation will undergo debate at the ICC’s chief executives’ committee before being addressed by the ICC Board on Thursday.

Full list of retained and released players

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Retained: Ali Khan, Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Joe Clarke, Sabir Ali, Sunil Narine, Marchant de Lange, Matiullah Khan
Released: Brandon King, Colin Ingram, Connor Esterhuizen, Kennar Lewis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Fahad Nawaz, Raymon Reifer, Paul Stirling, Brandon Glover, Akeal Hosein, Lahiru Kumara, Ravi Rampaul, Zawar Farid

Desert Vipers

Retained: Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Colin Munro, Dinesh Chandimal, Gus Atkinson, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Rohan Mustafa, Sheldon Cottrell, Shrefane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga
Released: Sam Billings, Adam Lyth, Benny Howell, Ronak Panoly, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills, Shiraz Ahmed, Ruben Trumpelmann, Mark Watt

Dubai Capitals

Retained: Dushmantha Chameera, Joe Root, Akif Raja, Rovman Powell, Sikandar Raza
Released: Chirag Suri, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazratullah Zazai, Dan Lawrence, George Munsey, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Robin Uthappa, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bopara, Chamika Karunaratne, Yusuf Pathan, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Hazrat Luqman, Fred Klaassen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jash Giyanani, Ollie White

Gulf Giants

Retained: Aayan Afzal Khan, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Gerhard Erasmus, James Vince, Jamie Overton, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Sanchit Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer
Released: Tom Banton, Ollie Pope, C Rizwan, Ashwanth Valthapa, Liam Dawson, Dominic Drakes, David Wiese, Qais Ahmad, Tom Helm

MI Emirates

Retained: Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, McKenny Clarke, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Will Smeed, Zahoor Khan
Released: Vriitya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Najibullah Zadran, Lorcan Tucker, Bas de Leede, Tom Lammonby, Craig Overton, Samit Patel, Imran Tahir, Brad Wheal, Zahir Khan

Sharjah Warriors

Retained: Chris Woakes, Joe Denly, Junaid Siddique, Mark Deyal, Muhammad Jawadullah, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Released: Chris Benjamin, Evin Lewis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dawid Malan, Alishan Sharafu, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Mohammab Nabi, Paul Walter, Karthik Meiyappan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Bilal Khan, Jamal Todd

(Inputs from ESPN Cricinfo)

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