The ILT20 season 2, with a galaxy of star-studded teams, takes off from tomorrow January 19 (Friday). This one-month long contest consisting of six teams, is an Emirates Cricket Board’s event, and has a List A status granted by the International Cricket Council (ICC). On Thursday, team captains and vice captains who assembled at the Dubai International Stadium for a photo shoot with the trophy, and a press conference that followed, were upbeat about their respective team’s performances.
Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar, Brand Ambassador for the ILT20 season 2, set the tempo for the action to follow by stating: “They are all superstars. I am glad I was not born in this era. Players like Chris Lynn would have smacked me all over. Sunil Narine would have always got me out. Good luck to you all. I am sure you will be all rooting for your teams. This is the trophy to be won.” Akhtar then lauded UAE for creating such a platform through this tournament saying. “We saw UAE Under-19 team beating Pakistan Under-19 and this tournament has played a big role in showcasing young talent here.”
Chris Lynn of Gulf Giants, who etched his name in the history of the tournament by winning the inaugural edition of the tournament, said: “We obviously did great work last year. T20 is all about reinventing and adapting to the conditions. Last year we had some great batting wickets, and hopefully we will repeat our performance.”
Talking about the Green, White, Red and Blue Belts for outstanding performance in the tournament, Lynn said: “It is a big motivation to the players but it also about playing and winning for the team. It is a recognition of performance and pride.
Sunil Narine, skipper of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, who has an exciting squad, said: “Some things went wrong with us last year. We will better that show this season. Our ultimate goal is to win this trophy. Though I do enjoy playing in Abu Dhabi, the aim will be to adapt to all wickets and execute our plans.”
Colin Munro, skipper of the Desert Vipers with star Pakistan player like Shaheen Shah Afridi in his side, has an outstanding team. Talking about his team’s chances, Munro said: “We have some superstars in our team. We will try and adapt to the conditions here and produce a good show.”
Sam Billings of Dubai Capitals, who addressed the press conference in place of his captain David Warner who will be arriving soon, said: “It will be great to play with David having often played against him. We have a great team and we are confident of producing a good show. With all other teams too being strong, this will be a great completion.”
Nicholas Pooran, skipper of Mumbai Indians Emirates, and who has played some scintillating cricket in the ILT20 Season 1, confirmed that his eyes are on the beautiful trophy. “We look forward to the challenge. We are hoping for a great start. It is great to be leading the Mumbai franchise. There are many superstars in this tournament; so it is not going to be easy. To be successful we have to work hard and we are ready for the challenge.”
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, skipper of the Sharjah Warriors, who too produced some great knocks in the first season, said: “This year we have a more balanced team than last year. We have some very good allrounders and excellent batting options. We are confident of our boys. Every team wants to have a winning start and that is what we will look forward tomorrow. Hopefully we can start well and go towards the final.”
All teams are packed with legendary cricketers who have sparkled especially in the T20 format and those who have displayed outstanding performances in the recent ICC World Cup in India. Over 100 international cricketers will feature in Season 2. Stars like David Warner, Shaheen Afridi, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Sikandar Raza, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Trent Boult, Carlos Brathwaite, Ambati Rayudu, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Chris Woakes, Sherfane Rutherford and Sheldon Cottrell will all be seen in action.
Some of the UAE players who have produced sterling performances in international matches recently like Aayan Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Aditya Shetty, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Rohan Mustafa, Vritya Aravind, Basil Hameed, and Alishan Sharafu are all playing for the different teams. A total of 25 UAE players will feature in this edition.
All the three venues – Dubai International Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, and Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium are ready to stage this event. Fifteen matches, including the final, will be held in Dubai, while Abu Dhabi will host 11 matches and Sharjah will stage eight matches. Night matches will commence from 6.30pm and the weekend day matches will start from 2.30pm.
The opening match will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on January 19 (Friday) when defending champions Gulf Giants take on Sharjah Warriors from 6.30pm (UAE time). Top umpires from around the world led by Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar will officiate the matches. The commentary team comprises legends like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Virender Sehwag, Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan Singh, and many former cricketers.
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