Roy, Ferguson, Hope among new signings for UAE's ILT20

Excitement is building for Season 3 of the DP World International League T20 (ILT20), featuring some of cricket's biggest stars as new signings join the six franchises.

The player signing window, which opened in June, closed on September 15.

This season, fans can look forward to several international stars making their debuts, including Jason Roy with Sharjah Warriorz, Fakhar Zaman and Lockie Ferguson with Desert Vipers, and Shai Hope with Dubai Capitals.

Other notable additions include Roston Chase for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Matthew Wade for Sharjah Warriorz, and Ibrahim Zadran for Gulf Giants.

Returning to the league is England's all-rounder Gus Atkinson, now with Sharjah Warriorz, after a standout season with the Vipers. Meanwhile, Gulf Giants have bolstered their squad with fast bowler Tom Curran and other prominent talents.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are also gearing up with a strong lineup that features West Indies players Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie, while defending champions MI Emirates have strengthened their squad with West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd, adding depth to their already impressive roster.

As the teams prepare for what promises to be an action-packed season, they will have the opportunity to make further additions to their squads after the upcoming DP World ILT20 Development Tournament.

ILT20 Season 3 kicks off on Saturday, January 11, 2025, and the final will be played on Sunday, February 9, 2025.

The DP World International League T20’s Season 3 is set to be full of high octane cricket, as some of the biggest names in the International T20 circuit have joined the six franchises as new signings.

Read more at : https://t.co/i2VoV3I7nk #DPWorldILT20 #S3 #NewSignings pic.twitter.com/ecMNk10OQY

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) September 19, 2024

The six DP World ILT20 Season 3 squads as of 19 September 2024:

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

New signees: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Gudakesh Motie, Hassan Khan, Roston Chase and Terrance Hinds.

Retentions: Aditya Shetty, Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Ghous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Michael Pepper and Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers

New signees: Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson and Max Holden.

Retentions: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Luke Wood, Michael Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri and Wanindu Hasaranga.

Dubai Capitals

New signees: Adam Rossington, Brandon McMullen, Garuka Sanketh, Gulbadin Naib, Jeffrey Vandersay, Joe Burns, Joe Weatherley, Najibullah Zadran, Obed McCoy, Scott Kuggeleijn, Sharafuddin Ashraf and Shai Hope.

Retentions: Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Haider Ali, Raja Akif, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Zahir Khan, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Oliver Stone.

Gulf Giants

New signees: Adam Lyth, Dominic Drakes, Daniel Worrall, Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Adair, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills and Wahidullah Zadran.

Retentions: Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Jordan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gerhard Erasmus, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Mohammad Zuhaib Zubair, Rehan Ahmed, and Shimron Hetmyer.

MI Emirates

New signees: Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Fareed Ahmad, Thomas Jack Draca, Ben Charlesworth.

Retentions: Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Waqar Salamkheil.

Sharjah Warriorz

New signees: Adam Milne, Adil Rashid (played for Warriorz in Season 2 as a Wildcard pick), Ashton Agar, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Daniel Sams, Gus Atkinson, Harmeet Singh, Jason Roy, Karim Janat, Keemo Paul, Matthew Wade, Virandeep Singh and Tim Seifert.

Retentions: Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.