The availability of several United Arab Emirates players for the fifth season of the DP World ILT20 is uncertain, with the league informing franchises on September 29, 2026, that some leading UAE cricketers may miss a portion of the tournament if the national side qualifies for the ODI World Cup Qualifier playoffs.
The fifth season of the ILT20 is scheduled to run from November 21 to December 20, 2026, in the UAE. The league announced this window on April 13, 2026. The ILT20 auction is set for October 1, 2026, in Dubai, meaning franchises must factor in the availability uncertainty before bidding. ILT20 interim COO Mike Fordham addressed franchises directly on the matter.
“If that is the case, then some UAE players will miss a portion of the DP World ILT20 season. Other players not selected would remain fully available in this circumstance, including many of the top performers from the UAE in the league in recent seasons,” Fordham said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
What is the scheduling conflict affecting UAE players?
UAE have eight matches remaining in the ICC World Cricket League 2 and need to win the majority of those games to stay in contention for the ODI World Cup Qualifier playoffs. The national side is currently travelling to Dallas to face USA and Namibia, followed by a tri-series in October against Netherlands and Oman.
The Emirates Cricket Board approached the ICC to request that the Qualifier playoffs be moved to January, but was told the global cricket calendar is too tightly packed to accommodate the change. As a result, a potential overlap between UAE’s international commitments and the ILT20 season remains unresolved at this stage.
“It is possible that UAE may be in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in December, depending on other results before then,” Fordham said.
The league assured franchises that players not selected for the national squad would remain fully available for their respective sides throughout the season.
How does this affect the ILT20 auction and squad rules?
Exactly 22 of the 44 players in the marquee set are from UAE. The marquee group includes Muhammad Waseem, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Alishan Sharafu and Haider Ali, none of whom are part of the WCL-2 Dallas series squad. Franchises also have a Right-to-Match option available for UAE players who represented their franchise last season or were part of the Development Squad in 2026.
Each franchise has USD 1,300,000 to spend at the auction, with the option to use any unutilised amount from the USD 700,000 allocated for direct signings and retentions. Squads must contain between 18 and 23 players, with a minimum of 11 from Full Member countries, including at least four from Afghanistan and at least one from Ireland.
The squad composition rules also require a minimum of four UAE players, one from Kuwait, one from Saudi Arabia, at least one further Associate country player and at least one Under-23 player. Separately, Matheesha Pathirana, Michael Bracewell and Sonny Baker have withdrawn from the auction and are ineligible as replacement or wildcard options.
