Cricket fans in the UAE are in for another blockbuster season as the DP World International League T20 (ILT20) returns for its fourth edition, kicking off on Tuesday, December 2, coinciding with UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad). The month-long, six-team tournament will conclude on Sunday, January 4, 2026, promising 34 high-octane matches featuring some of the world’s most exciting T20 players.

Big Names Back for Season 4

The first phase of squad selection is complete, and it features a stellar cast of returning favourites and headline-making new signings. Among the top international stars confirmed for Season 4 are:

• England’s T20 World Cup winners: Alex Hales, Sam Curran (Season 3 MVP – Red Belt Winner), Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Chris Woakes
• West Indies heavy-hitters: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shai Hope (Season 3 Best Batter – Green Belt Winner)
• Asia’s top talent: Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi (Season 3 Best Bowler – White Belt Winner), and Sikandar Raza (Season 2 MVP – Red Belt Winner)
• Australia and New Zealand powerhouses: Tim David, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson

Player Auction Coming Soon

Each team has completed eight-player rosters in this initial phase, which included retentions from Season 3 and new signings. The final squads will be completed during the upcoming DP World ILT20 Season 4 Player Auction, with dates and details to be announced shortly.

Key Retentions – Season 3 Heroes Stay Put

Teams have locked in key players from the previous edition:

• Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Andre Russell, Phil Salt, Charith Asalanka, Sunil Narine
• Desert Vipers: Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lockie Ferguson, Dan Lawrence
• Dubai Capitals: Rovman Powell, Shai Hope, Dasun Shanaka
• Gulf Giants: James Vince, Blessing Muzarabani, Gerhard Erasmus
• MI Emirates: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Muhammad Waseem
• Sharjah Warriorz: Tim Southee, Johnson Charles, Kusal Mendis

New Signings Heat Up the Transfer Window

Several big-name players have changed franchises or made their ILT20 debut:

• Dubai Capitals: Added Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil, pacers Luke Wood and Muhammad Jawadullah
• Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Signed explosive batters Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, and Sherfane Rutherford
• Desert Vipers: Welcomed opener Andries Gous
• Gulf Giants: Secured Moeen Ali, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• MI Emirates: Added Chris Woakes and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis
• Sharjah Warriorz: Signed Sikandar Raza, Maheesh Theekshana, Tim David, and USA quick Saurabh Netravalkar

Mark Your Calendar

The tournament opens on UAE National Day, setting the tone for a festive month of cricketing fireworks across UAE stadiums. With star-studded squads, huge fanbases, and intense franchise rivalries, DP World ILT20 Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest edition yet.

It was a landmark day for cricket in the USA as the teams assembled an exciting mix of international stars and emerging talents during the draft for the inaugural Super60 USA Tournament, held on Friday with prominent names like Martin Guptill, Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron and Lendl Simmons making the headlines.

Teams had already locked in eight players as part of their pre-signings. In the draft, they were allowed to choose between seven to 10 more players.

The LA Strikers had already secured big names like Aaron Finch, Isuru Udana, and Ben Dunk in their pre-signings. During the draft, they further strengthened their lineup by picking Gurkeerat Mann, a dynamic all-rounder known for his decent strike rate and handy off-spin. The franchise also brought in experienced wicketkeeper-batter Naman Ojha and seasoned medium-pacer Parvinder Awana, clearly aiming to build a well-rounded squad with depth in every department.

Morrisville Fighters put together a strong core by signing two of India’s finest bowlers — Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel. They further added fire power in the batting department with the signing of Shaun Marsh. The franchise continued to build on that solid base with the additions of powerful all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme, pacer Sheldon Cottrell, and experienced campaigner Faiz Fazal.

Rebel Warriors made a statement during the draft after they signed Martin Guptill and Lendl Simmons one after the other. The two batters are known for their aggressive and will play a massive role in providing a brisk start to the team. They also have Saurabh Tiwary whom they signed during the pre-signings to add more aggression in the batting department while the experience of Mitchell Johnson with the ball will be the key for Rebel’s success.

Chicago Players who already had legends in Suresh Raina and Jacques Kallis in their line up got Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron and Devendra Bishoo to add more fuel to their bowling unit.

Detroit Falcons went into the draft with a clear game plan — to stack their squad with quality all-rounders. With Shakib Al Hasan already in the lineup, they added Mossaddek Hossain and Ariful Haque, two reliable performers with solid domestic records.

With Parthiv Patel, Chris Lynn, and Ravi Bopara in their batting lineup, the Washington Tigers have plenty of experience and firepower up top. On the bowling side, they’ll be counting on Abhimanyu Mithun, Dan Christian, and Shahbaz Nadeem to do the job with the ball and keep the opposition in check.

LA Strikers:

Pre-Signing- Aaron Finch (Icon), Isuru Udana (Platinum), Ben Dunk (Cat A), Chadwick Walton (Cat B), Ashley Nurse (Cat B), Anureet Singh (Cat C), Chirag Gandhi (Cat D), Jesal Karia (Cat C)

Draft- Gurkeerat Mann (Cat B), Naman Ojha ( Cat B), Jaskaran Malhotra (Cat C), Parvinder Awana (Cat C), Manan Sharma (Cat D), Nisarg Patel (Cat D), Kashyap Prajapati (Cat D)

Morrisville Fighters:

Pre-Signing- Harbhajan Singh (Icon), Shaun Marsh (Platinum), Munaf Patel (Cat A), Angelo Perera (Cat B), Bipul Sharma (Cat B), Chamara Kapugedera (Cat C), Danushka Gunathilaka (Cat C), Kristopher Ramsaran (Cat D)

Draft- Colin de Grandhomme (Cat B), Sheldon Cottrell (Cat B), Jerome Taylor (Cat C), Faiz Fazal (Cat C), Suboth Bhati (Cat D), Rahul Yadav (Cat D), Elmore Hutchinson (Cat D)

Rebel Warriors:

Pre Signing- Thisara Perera (Icon), Mitchell Johnson (Platinum), Saurabh Tiwary (Cat A), Miguel Cummins (Cat B), Kennar Lewis (Cat B) , Samit Patel (Cat C), Oshane Thomas (Cat C), Amila Aponso (Cat D)

Draft- Martin Guptill (Cat B), Lendl Simmons, (Cat B), Chaturanga de Silva (Cat B), Jonathan Carter (Cat C), Jonathan Foo (Cat D),  Andre McCarthy (Cat D), Trevon Griffith (Cat D)

The Chicago Players:

Pre-Signing- Suresh Raina (Icon), Jacques Kallis (Platinum), Shehan Jayasuriya (Cat A), Manpreet Gony (Cat B), Kesrick Williams (Cat B), Dilhara Fernando (Cat C), Jon-Russ Jaggesar (Cat C), Navin Stewart (Cat D)

Draft- Wayne Parnell (Cat B), Varun Aaron (Cat B), Devendra Bishoo (Cat C), Siddharth Trivedi (Cat C), William Perkins (Cat D), Pawan Suyal (Cat D), Vikas Tokas (Cat D)

Detroit Falcons:

Pre-Signing- Shakib Al Hasan (ICON), Cameron Delport (Platinum), Rishi Dhawan (Cat A), Nasir Hussain (Cat B), Sharad Lumba (Cat B), Nasir Hussain (Cat B), Malinda Pushpakumara (Cat C), Anthony Bramble (Cat D)

Draft- Mossaddek Hossain (Cat B), Enamul Haque Jr (Cat B), Ariful Haque (Cat C), Kamrul Islam Rabbi (Cat C), Rony Talukdar (Cat D), Al-Amin Hossain (Cat D), Mohammad Nihaduzzaman (Cat D)

Washington Tigers:

Pre-Signing- Parthiv Patel (Platinum), Chris Lynn (Cat A), Ravi Bopara (Cat B), Andrew Tye (Cat B), Rohan Mustafa (Cat C), Abhimanyu Mithun (Cat C), Zahoor Khan (Cat D)

Draft- Dan Christian (Cat B), Shahbaz Nadeem (Cat B), Phil Mustard (Cat B), Jeevan Mendis (Cat C), Sheldon Jackson (Cat D), George Worker (Cat D), Aakarshit Gomel (Cat D)

There was no table slam, no dramatic sigh, just a quiet handshake and a grimace. On Thursday in Zagreb, Magnus Carlsen resigned once again to Gukesh Dommaraju, this time in a rapid game at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025.

It’s the second time in less than a month that the Indian teenager has defeated the five-time world champion. After his classical-format win over Carlsen at Norway Chess, Gukesh has now proved he can beat the Norwegian even in faster time controls, and with Carlsen playing white, no less.

With that win, Gukesh surged into sole lead at the end of Day 2 of the three-day rapid section, sitting at 10 points, two clear of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Carlsen, meanwhile, is stuck on 6 points and well behind the leaders.

Not a fluke. Not a meltdown. Just better chess.

What makes this win even more significant is the context. Gukesh has never been seen as a strong rapid/blitz player, even Carlsen himself said so before the tournament began, calling Gukesh one of the “presumably weaker players” in the field.

But Gukesh’s performance in Zagreb is rewriting that narrative. After losing his opening game to Duda, the 18-year-old reeled off five straight wins, including victories over some of the best in the world: Alireza Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, and then Carlsen.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov, on commentary, put it plainly:

“This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it’s a convincing loss. It’s not a miracle or luck. Magnus was in a big fight, and he lost.”

Carlsen’s pre-tournament jab aged poorly

Carlsen had publicly questioned Gukesh’s readiness for rapid formats, saying:

“Gukesh hasn’t done anything to indicate that he’s going to do well. Players like Gukesh have a lot to prove.”

Safe to say, Gukesh is proving it. While Carlsen walked off without making eye contact after the 49-move defeat, Gukesh looked composed and focused as he moved closer to adding another major title to his fast-growing resume.

Time on his side

Interestingly, Gukesh, known for excelling in slower, classical formats, has been ahead on time even in the endgames during this tournament, including in matches against Carlsen and Caruana. That’s a stark contrast to his earlier blitz outings and signals his evolution into a more complete player.

Now heading into the final day of rapid play, Gukesh leads the standings and is firmly in control.