ILT20 Season 5: Desert Vipers to open title defence against MI Emirates in Dubai on November 21

A final rematch to open the fifth season

The ILT20 will begin its fifth season exactly where the last one ended. Defending champions Desert Vipers take on MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium on November 21, in a repeat of last season's final — the fixture that will raise the curtain on the six-team, 34-match competition.

The opening fixture brings together two of the tournament's most high-profile teams, with the Vipers beginning their title defence against the side they beat in the previous season's summit clash. The match starts at 6:30 pm local time, which is 8 PM IST.

Warriorz, Capitals and Knight Riders kick off a busy opening weekend

The season's second match will see Sharjah Warriorz face Gulf Giants at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 22 at 3:30 PM IST, before Dubai Capitals take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the second game of the opening day's double-header in Dubai at 8 PM IST.

Sharjah Warriorz return to action the following evening against the Vipers on November 23, with Gulf Giants meeting MI Emirates in Dubai on November 24 and Dubai Capitals facing the Vipers on November 25.

Format and venues

Each of the six teams will play 10 matches across the 34-match tournament, with the top four sides advancing to the playoffs. The competition will culminate in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on December 20.

Dubai will host 15 matches, while Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium will stage 11 and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium eight. The tournament will also feature six days of double-header action.

Vipers load up with Pakistan firepower

The Vipers have added significant firepower to their squad for the new season, with Pakistan stars Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan among their auction signings. They have also retained the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Dan Lawrence as pre-auction signings.

MI Emirates, meanwhile, will be led by a formidable group that includes Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd, while Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jonny Bairstow and Kusal Perera are among their auction acquisitions.

Full ILT20 Season 5 schedule

The squads in full

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Auction signings: Alishan Sharafu, Amshi De Silva, Muhammad Rohid, Moeen Ali, Arab Gul, Usman Tariq, Gulbadin Naib, Ibrar Ahmed, Andre Fletcher, Ajay Kumar, Colin Munro, Michael Pepper, Qais Ahmad, Jakeem Pollard, Abdul Mannan Ali, Ravija Sandaruwan, Abdullah Tarakhail, Lorcan Tucker.

Pre-auction signings: Finn Allen, Jason Holder, Matthew Tromp, Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers

Auction signings: David Payne, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Vriitya Aravind, Aneurin Donald, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Joe Clarke, Nangeyalia Kharote, Sanjay Pahal, Harry Tector, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Nilansh Keswani, Saleem Safi, Bilal Tahir, Wali Muhammad.

Pre-auction signings: Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Shimron Hetmyer.

Dubai Capitals

Auction signings: Faf du Plessis, Max Holden, Dasun Shanaka, Aayan Khan, Hassan Khan, Phil Salt, Sediqullah Atal, Mark Adair, Karim Janat, Luke Wood, Tom Moores, Haider Ali, Zuhaib Zubair, Darwish Rasooli, Muhammad Arfan, Matt Potts, Usman Najeeb, Anudeep Chenthamara, Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz.

Pre-auction signings: Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rovman Powell.

Gulf Giants

Auction signings: Liam Livingstone, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, David Wiese, Ibrahim Zadran, Tabraiz Shamsi, Curtis Campher, Dhruv Parashar, Matiullah Khan, Haider Razzaq, Imran Mir, Imtiaz Khan, Meet Bhavsar, Shubham Ranjane, Wahidullah Zadran, Awais Ahmed, Sagar Kalyan, Alick Athanaze.

Pre-auction signings: Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen.

MI Emirates

Auction signings: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Muhammad Waseem, Chris Jordan, Allah Ghazanfar, Lizaad Williams, James Coles, Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera, Jordan Thompson, Zahoor Khan, Wasim Akram, Zain Ul Abidin, Muhammad Shafeeq, Asa Tribe, Raizal Nadir Nather Shah, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Ross Adair.

Pre-auction signings: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford.

Sharjah Warriorz

Auction signings: Richard Gleeson, Mohammad Nabi, Paul Walter, Adil Rashid, Brandon McMullen, Tom Banton, Craig Overton, George Linde, Ali Aamer Naseer, Fareed Malik, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Logan van Beek, Junaid Siddique, Tanish Suri, Nabeel Aziz, George Dockrell, Mohammad Saqib, Arunraj Selvaraj, James Rew.

Pre-auction signings: Adam Milne, James Vince, Waqar Salamkheil, Sikandar Raza.

What is at stake

The Vipers enter the fifth season as the team to beat, but the league's short history shows how quickly the balance of power can shift: Gulf Giants won the inaugural season, MI Emirates took the Season 2 crown and Dubai Capitals claimed Season 3, setting the stage for another closely contested edition. With 34 matches packed into four weeks and six double-header days, the race for the top four playoff spots should be decided late.