Sharjah, UAE, 19th January 2024: The much-anticipated ILT20 commenced at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with the opening clash between the Gulf Giants, the defending champions of Season 1, and the Sharjah Warriors, playing at their home ground. With the teams battling it out on the field, the encounter features cricketing titans and marquee players from across the world. The inaugural match of ILT20’s Season 2 promises to be a riveting battle, showcasing the best of T20 cricket.
The opening event had in the presence the Chairman ILT20, Khalid Al Zarooni, and General Secretary ECB, Mubashshir Usmani, and Mr. Rahul Johri, President – Business, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). Also, the event was graced by the star-studded commentary panel of DP World ILT20 – Virender Sehwag, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan Singh, and Waqar Younis. The winner of UAE’s Best Live Singer Award and UAE’s First Classical Singer Ahmad Al Hosani, who sang the national anthem of UAE at the inauguration ceremony.
The franchise-style tournament kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium and is slated to run until February 17, 2024. The action-packed tournament is being aired on Zee’s 10 widely distributed and viewed linear TV channels, including &Pictures, &Pictures HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Zest, Zee Ganga, Zee Cinemalu HD, &Flix, &Flix HD, and Zee Zest HD. Additionally, the event will be available on one of India’s leading OTT platforms, ZEE5.
Speaking about the event, Mr. Rahul Johri, President – Business, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) said, “With a stellar line-up of international cricket stars and intense competition between the franchise teams, the league promises an unforgettable experience. At ZEE Entertainment, we are delighted to be associated with ILT20 delivering this cricketing spectacle to millions of cricket fans through our linear TV channels and the ZEE5 platform.”
Leading the charge for Gulf Giants are England’s T20 death-over specialist Chris Jordan, and West Indies’ powerhouse batsman Shimron Hetmyer; adding to the firepower is West Indies paceman Dominic Drakes, forming a formidable lineup that aims to defend their championship title.
On the opposing side, the Sharjah Warriors boast an equally star-studded squad, which has Sri Lanka’s enigmatic strokemaker Niroshan Dickwella, England’s versatile all-rounder wizard Chris Woakes, and the standout Sri Lankan pacer Dilshan Madhusanka take the field with their exceptional skills, contributing to Sharjah Warriors’ pursuit of T20 glory.
Six franchise teams, each vying for supremacy, will compete in ILT20 Season 2. The 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).
The tournament boasts a star-studded lineup featuring some of the world’s most prominent cricket stars. Cricket aficionados can expect to witness exceptional performances from renowned players such as 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 and Trent Boult.