South African T20 stalwarts set to make ILT20 debuts: Details
What's the story
South African cricketers David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen are all set to make their debuts in the International League T20 (ILT20) tournament. Both T20 stalwarts have been signed by Gulf Giants for the upcoming fifth season, which will start on November 22. New Zealand's Finn Allen will also be making his debut with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR). The tournament will feature a total of 34 matches.
Player returns
Major signings for Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers
Australia's all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will return to the ILT20 after a three-year hiatus. He will play for Dubai Capitals in the upcoming season.
Noor Ahmad is the other player signed by the Capitals, as Rovman Powell and Mustafizur Rahman have been retained.
The defending champions Desert Vipers have retained players like Shimron Hetmyer, Andries Gous, and Dan Lawrence while signing Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Team strategies
Retentions and signings of MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz
MI Emirates have retained three players from last season, Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, and Romario Shepherd. They have also signed Sherfane Rutherford ahead of the auction.
Sharjah Warriorz, on the other hand, have retained just one player, Sikandar Raza.
The team has signed Adam Milne, James Vince, and Waqar Salamkheil to complete their pre-auction signings for this season of ILT20.
Squads
Current squads of other teams
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Sunil Narine (retained), Jason Holder (retained), Finn Allen (signed), Matthew Tromp (signed).
Gulf Giants: Azmatullah Omarzai (retained), Blessing Muzarabani (retained), David Miller (signed), Heinrich Klaasen (signed).
Squad finalization
A look at the auction details
The ILT20 teams will finalize their squads by signing players from UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
Each team can have a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 23 players per squad.
This year's auction will be held in Dubai on October 1.
After the auction, each team can sign one Wildcard player to complete their squad for the tournament.