- 34 matches schedule announced
- Exclusive digital partner ZEE5 to offer free-to-view streaming
- Preparations for a blockbuster Season 2 is underway following the big success in Season 1 which established the league as 2nd most watched T20 cricket league attracting 367 million viewers from India and around the world
- A series of exciting announcements, activations and match tickets to be launched soon; tickets to be available online and at all 14 Virgin Megastore outlets across UAE
3rd November, 2023: The second season of DP World International League T20 (ILT20), the second most-watched T20 cricket league globally, is set to begin on 19th January 2024. Cricket fans and sports enthusiasts in India and around the world can exclusively watch the LIVE action on ZEE’s 10 linear TV channels, OTT platform ZEE5 and on its syndicate partners’ TV and digital networks across the world.
The 34-match event will be played at the three iconic UAE venues – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah – starting from 19 January, 2024 to 17 February, 2024. Cricket fans can watch this action-packed event on Zee’s most widely distributed and viewed 10 linear TV channels: &Pictures, &Pictures HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Zest, Zee Ganga, Zee Cinemalu HD, &Flix, &Flix HD and Zee Zest HD and on one of India’s leading OTT platforms – ZEE5.
The franchise-style tournament with six teams and 34 matches is played across the UAE. The league’s six franchise teams include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global).
Some of the world’s most prominent cricket stars are slated to play in the Season 2, including David Warner, Dasun Shanaka, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sam Billings, David Willey, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Alex Hales, Tom Curran, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, James Vince, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Martin Guptill.
The deep distribution and disruptive marketing strategy for the 2nd season aims to further enhance the league’s reach and ensure widespread viewership, emphasizing ILT20’s appeal to a broad and diverse audience. In the previous season, the league achieved a remarkable reach of over 250 million across India. The event will be broadcast in Hindi and English commentary. ZEE5 will offer Live free-to-view streaming of the 34 cricket matches, aimed at bolstering cricket viewership in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. This move represents a commitment to making cricket more accessible to a wider audience, thereby democratizing the experience of sports viewing in the region.
Mr. Rahul Johri, President – Business, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), “Zee is delighted to present DP World ILT20 2nd season and promises an electrifying experience to cricket fans in India and around the world. With the world’s finest players, iconic stadiums and infrastructure and six leading sporting franchises, our goal is to build upon the previous year’s success, further solidifying the league’s stature as one of the most-widely followed cricket events in the world.”
CEO DP World ILT20 David White: “We are excited to announce the DP World ILT20 Season 2 schedule. Just like the opening season, we are set to deliver 34 action-packed matches at three fantastic cricket venues. The event begins on 19 January and will finish with the final in Dubai on 17 February. Season 2 will be launched with riveting on-field action and entertainment for the entire family on the opening weekend in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”
“This year, we have attracted some of the biggest cricket stars from around the world to the DP World ILT20 Season 2. We have three world-class stadiums that have a rich history of hosting some of the biggest cricket events including the T20 World Cup. The weather in UAE is absolutely ideal for cricket in the months of January and February. There is as always, a huge appetite and interest in the game here and we welcome local fans as well as international travellers as they have the greatest cricketing spectacle to enjoy with a number of entertainment opportunities on offer besides the action on the field.”
Following the opener in Sharjah between Sharjah Warriors and Gulf Giants on Friday, 19th January, Dubai Capitals will play MI Emirates at the DIS on Saturday 20 January. Last year’s runner-up Desert Vipers will open their campaign against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Saturday at the Dubai International Stadium.
All single header matches will be broadcast Live at 8 PM India prime time, starting with the pre-match presentation at 7:30 PM. The afternoon match on the double-header’s day will start at 4:00 PM.
A total of 15 matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi will host 11 and Sharjah will stage eight fixtures. Each team will have five home and five away fixtures. The match tickets will be soon launched, the details will be shared in the next few days.
DP World ILT20 Season 2 Schedule:
Match 1: Friday, 19 January – Sharjah Warriors vs Gulf Giants – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 2: Saturday, 20 January – Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
Match 3: Sunday, 21 January – Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
Match 4: Sunday, 21 January – MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 5: Monday, 22 January – Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriors – Dubai International Stadium
Match 6: Tuesday, 23 January – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 7: Wednesday, 24 January – Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers – Dubai International Stadium
Match 8: Thursday, 25 January – Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
Match 9: Friday, 26 January – Sharjah Warriors vs MI Emirates – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 10: Saturday, 27 January – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 11: Saturday, 27 January – Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 12: Sunday, 28 January – MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 13: Sunday, 28 January – Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriors – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 14: Monday, 29 January – Sharjah Warriors vs Dubai Capitals – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 15: Tuesday, 30 January – Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
Match 16: Wednesday, 31 January – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 17: Thursday, 1 February – Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers – Dubai International Stadium
Match 18: Friday, 2 February – MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriors – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 19: Saturday, 3 February – Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants – Dubai International Stadium
Match 20: Saturday, 3 February – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 21: Sunday, 4 February – MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 22: Sunday, 4 February – Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriors – Dubai International Stadium
Match 23: Monday, 5 February – Sharjah Warriors vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 24: Tuesday, 6 February – Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants – Dubai International Stadium
Match 25: Wednesday, 7 February – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriors – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 26: Thursday, 8 February – Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
Match 27: Friday, 9 February – Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals – Dubai International Stadium
Match 28: Saturday, 10 February – Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
Match 29: Saturday, 10 February – MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 30: Sunday, 11 February – Sharjah Warriors vs Desert Vipers – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 31: Tuesday, 13 February – Qualifier 1 – Dubai International Stadium
Match 32: Wednesday, 14 February – Eliminator – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Match 33: Thursday, 15 February – Qualifier 2 – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Match 34: Saturday, 17 February – Final – Dubai International Stadium
*All single-headers (night matches) begin at 8:00 PM India Time | 6:30 PM UAE time.
*Afternoon match on double-headers day begin at 4:00 PM India Time| 2:30 PM UAE time.
