Gulf Giants, Sharjah Warriors to play ILT20 opener on January 19

The second season of the UAE's ILT20 will kick off on January 19, with Gulf Giants, the defending champions, taking on Sharjah Warriors in Sharjah.

Of the 34 games in the tournament, Dubai will host 15, including the final on February 17, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host 11 and eight matches respectively. The six teams in the fray will share the three venues as their home grounds: Dubai will be the home venue for Dubai Capitals, while Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants will split their home games between Dubai and Sharjah; Sharjah will also be the home venue for Sharjah Warriors, while Abu Dhabi will be the home venue for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and MI Emirates.

A total of six double-headers will be played in the league stage. The day games will start at 2.30pm local time, while the evening matches will start at 6.30pm local time.

"The weather in UAE is absolutely ideal for cricket in the months of January and February," ILT20 chief executive David White said. "There is as always, a huge appetite and interest in the game here and we welcome local fans as well as international travelers as they have the greatest cricketing spectacle to enjoy with a number of entertainment opportunities on offer besides the action on the field."

The ILT20 will clash with the five-match India vs England Test series that begins on January 25 in Hyderabad. Of the players to have signed up for the ILT20, Mark Wood and Joe Root are expected to be part of the England squad for the Test. David Warner, meanwhile, is expected to fulfil his BBL commitments with Sydney Thunder - the tournament will end on January 24 - before hopping across to the UAE. He will require a no-objection certificate from Cricket Australia to play in the league.

The second season of the ILT20 will also run more or less concurrently with the second season of the SA20 league in South Africa, which is expected to be played from January 10 to February 10. This was the case last year too. And while the dates for the PSL and the BPL haven't been announced yet, there could be some overlap there, too.

Schedule
January 19: Sharjah Warriors vs Gulf Giants, Sharjah
January 20: Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates, Dubai
January 21: Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai
January 21: MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants, Abu Dhabi
January 22: Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriors, Dubai
January 23: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates, Abu Dhabi
January 24: Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers, Dubai
January 25: Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai
January 26: Sharjah Warriors vs MI Emirates, Sharjah
January 27: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers, Abu Dhabi
January 27: Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals, Sharjah
January 28: MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Abu Dhabi
January 28: Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriors, Sharjah
January 29: Sharjah Warriors vs Dubai Capitals, Sharjah
January 30: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates, Dubai
January 31: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants, Abu Dhabi
February 1: Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers, Dubai
February 2: MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriors, Abu Dhabi
February 3: Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants , Dubai
February 3: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi
February 4: MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers, Abu Dhabi
February 4: Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriors, Dubai
February 5: Sharjah Warriors vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Sharjah
February 6: Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants, Dubai
February 7: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriors, Abu Dhabi
February 8: Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates, Dubai
February 9: Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals, Dubai
February 10: Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai
February 10: MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi
February 11: Sharjah Warriors vs Desert Vipers, Sharjah
February 13: Qualifier 1, Dubai
February 14: Eliminator, Abu Dhabi
February 15: Qualifier 2, Sharjah
February 17: Final, Dubai