The squads for the fourth edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) Development Tournament have been finalised following the Player Draft held on September 2. Six teams will represent the franchises of the ILT20 in the tournament, which is set to begin on September 14, according to a press release. The tournament aims to provide promising cricketers from the UAE with valuable exposure and experience.
Several players selected for the squads have already participated in the DP World ILT20, while others will have the opportunity to make an impression ahead of the ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction scheduled for October 1, 2026, in Dubai.
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Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development features Alishan Sharafu as the batting anchor. The squad also includes wicketkeeper-batter Mayank Choudhary and pace bowler Ibrar Ahmad, both of whom played for the franchise in ILT20 Season 4.
Desert Vipers Development will field Sanjay Pahal, last
Desert Vipers Development will field Sanjay Pahal, last year’s Player of the Tournament, who scored 157 runs and took 12 wickets. The squad includes UAE internationals Khuzaima Tanveer and Matiullah Khan, along with experienced wicketkeeper-batter Vriitya Aravind.
Dubai Capitals Development boasts a strong bowling attack with Haider Ali and Muhammad Jawadullah, both participants in ILT20 Season 4. The squad also features Akshdeep Nath, who made his UAE debut this year, and Raees Ahmed, the third-highest run-scorer in the previous Development Tournament with 227 runs for Sharjah Warriors Development.
Gulf Giants Development have retained Haider Razzaq, the leading wicket-taker in last year’s edition with 16 wickets in seven matches. Aayan Afzal Khan, who has played in the ILT20 since its inception and has taken 24 wickets in 35 matches, will add further strength. Sagar Kalyan and Tanish Suri, top run-scorers in last year’s Development Tournament with 230 and 220 runs respectively, are also included, alongside UAE international middle-order batter Sohaib Khan.
MI Emirates Development is led by Muhammad Waseem,
MI Emirates Development is led by Muhammad Waseem, a seasoned player with 46 franchise appearances and the third-highest run-scorer in ILT20 history with 1,241 runs. The squad also includes DP World ILT20 players Muhammad Rohid, Ali Naseer, Aryan Lakra and Zahoor Khan.
Sharjah Warriorz Development features UAE international Junaid Siddique, the national side’s highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals with 126 wickets, alongside left-handed batter Ethan D’Souza and Dhruv Parashar, who has returned to the development pathway after playing for Desert Vipers. UAE ODI captain Harpreet Singh Bhatia brings additional international experience to the squad.
The tournament will be contested in a single-league, round-robin format, with Sharjah Warriorz Development entering as the defending champions after beating Desert Vipers Development in last year’s final.
Squads – ILT20 Development Tournament 2026
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development: Masood Ul Rahman
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development: Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz, Aftab Alam, Falaknoor Noor, Uzair Khan, Awais Ali Shah, Nawodya Wijayakumara, Zia Mukhtar, Usaid Amin, Junaid Khan Afridi, Asel Sigera, Zahid Ali, Ammar Badami, Salman Saleem, Uzair Haider, Ibrar Ahmad, Mayank Choudhary, Alishan Sharafu.
Desert Vipers Development: Ayaan Misbah, Nilansh Keswani, Israr Ahmad, Hilal Afghan, Wasim Akram, Harshit Kaushik, Wali Muhammad, Abdul Ghaffar, Taimoor Ali, Punya Bhatia, Zeeshan Abid, Angad Nehru, Harsh Desai, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Matiullah Khan, Sanjay Pahal, Vriitya Aravind.
Dubai Capitals Development: Akshdeep Nath, Tahir Zaman, Khalid Shah, Zeeshan Naseer, Muhammad Arfan, Saghir Khan, Yayin Rai, Ahmed Tariq, Raees Ahmed, Mohomad Halan, Rahul Chopra, Asif Mohammad Taniwal, Abdul Rahman Nasir, Farhan Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah.
Gulf Giants Development: Sohaib Khan, Adeeb Usmani, Awais
Gulf Giants Development: Sohaib Khan, Adeeb Usmani, Awais Ahmed, Sagar Kalyan, Junaid Shamsudheen, Ansh Tandon, Keshav Sharma, Nabeel Aziz, Muhammad Irshad, Samal Udawaththa, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Vaibhav Govekar, Tanish Suri, Albin Alias, Aayan Khan, Haider Razzaq, Zuhaib Zubair.
MI Emirates Development: Kona Srikar Bharat, Ali Naseer, Ibrahim Masood, Vishnu Sukumaran, Adithya Shetty, Aryan Lakra, Nasir Faraz, Said Nazeer, Wahab Hassan, Muhammad Sameer, Zenul Abideen, Raizal Nadir, Naseem Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Muhammad Rohid, Usman Khan, Zahoor Khan.
Sharjah Warriorz Development: Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Dilan Suraweera, Daniyal Liaquat, Dhruv Parashar, Luqman Faisal, Mohit Kalyan, Uddish Suri, Basil Hameed, Omid Rahman, Hafiz Almas Ayub, Shahid Iqbal, Aftab Javed, Rayan Khan, Ronak Panoly, Anas Malik, Junaid Siddique, Ethan D’Souza.
Source: thenewsmill.com
