The International League T20 is one of the biggest T20 league tournaments of the world. It is the first T20 league that is managed by the board of an Associate member of the International Cricket Council.
The Emirate Cricket Board established the International League T20 in 2022. However, it’s first edition was held in 2023. The tournament features six teams. Three of them are based on Abu Dhabi, two of them are based on Dubai and one in Sharjah. The six teams are owned by franchises of the Indian Premier League: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals, Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriors.
Each team’s playing eleven must have nine international players. The remaining two slots are filled by one local player and one player from an associate member nation. Teams also have to name seven substitutes ahead of the match. They can use one of them (called a Super Sub), that is announced before the match starts, when a wicket falls, when a batter retires, or at the end of the over. The substitute can be announced only once by each team in the match.
Officially recognised as a List-A status, the tournament is played in a double round-robin format. Each team plays the other twice in the league stage. The top four teams of the league stage qualify for the play-offs. The top two teams play the first qualifier, the winner of which progresses to the final. The third and fourth placed teams play the eliminator. Winner of this match faces the loser of the first qualifier. Eventually, the winner of this match plays the winner of the first qualifier in the final.
The winning side of the tournament will get $700,000 and the runner-up gets $300,000. Furthermore, the best batter, bowler, and fielder of the tournament receives $15,000 each.