Big names headline ILT20 Season 5 arrivals

Dubai: Finn Allen, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen will headline the new arrivals for the ILT20 Season 5, with the three T20 batters set to make their tournament debuts when the six-team competition returns in November-December.

New Zealand opener Finn Allen has joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, while South Africa's Miller and Klaasen will turn out for Gulf Giants. Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will return to the league with Dubai Capitals after a three-year absence.

The six franchises completed their foreign-player pre-auction signings on Monday, August 3, with each team allowed to sign up to four players before the main auction.

Retained stars and familiar faces

Several familiar faces will also remain with their Season 4 franchises. Jason Holder and Sunil Narine will continue with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, while defending champions Desert Vipers have retained Shimron Hetmyer.

Dubai Capitals have stuck with Rovman Powell and Mustafizur Rahman, with Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan and Romario Shepherd returning to MI Emirates and Sikandar Raza staying with Sharjah Warriorz. Defending champions Desert Vipers have also brought back Andries Gous and Dan Lawrence, while Gulf Giants have retained Azmatullah Omarzai and Blessing Muzarabani.

Other pre-auction moves

Among the other pre-auction signings, Afghanistan's Mujeeb-ur-Rahman will move to Desert Vipers after playing for Dubai Capitals in Season 4. Sherfane Rutherford joins MI Emirates, while James Vince, Adam Milne and Waqar Salamkheil have been signed by Sharjah Warriorz. Dubai Capitals have added Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad, who played for Desert Vipers last season.

Allen arrives in the UAE after a prolific run in international T20 cricket. The 27-year-old smashed a 33-ball century against South Africa in the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup and has scored 1,663 runs in 62 T20Is at a strike rate of 170.73, including three centuries.

Miller brings considerable experience to the Gulf Giants. The South African left-hander has played 140 T20Is and scored 2,804 runs at an average of 33.78 and a strike rate of 141.40. Klaasen has established himself as one of the most destructive batters in the format, particularly against spin. The South Africa wicketkeeper-batter has scored 1,000 T20I runs in 58 appearances and has close to 7,000 runs from almost 300 T20 matches across his career.

Marcus Stoinis returns to ILT20 after a three-year gap. Stoinis, a member of Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup-winning side, has been a regular in the country's white-ball teams for more than a decade. He has scored 1,416 runs in 87 T20Is at a strike rate of 146.28 and has also taken 53 wickets with his medium pace.

Auction details

The six teams will complete their squads at the ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction in Dubai on October 1. Squads must contain between 18 and 23 players, with UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and additional overseas players available through the auction. Players can register for the auction until September 12. Each franchise will also be permitted one additional wildcard signing after the auction.

Season 5 of the six-team, 34-match tournament will be played across November and December.

ILT20 Season 5 – List of Pre-Auction Signings

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Finn Allen – Pre-Auction Signing
Jason Holder – Pre-Auction Signing
Matthew Tromp – Pre-Auction Signing
Sunil Narine – Returns to the squad

Desert Vipers
Andries Gous – Returns to the squad
Dan Lawrence – Returns to the squad
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman – Pre-Auction Signing
Shimron Hetmyer – Pre-Auction Signing

Dubai Capitals
Marcus Stoinis – Pre-Auction Signing
Mustafizur Rahman – Returns to the squad
Noor Ahmad – Pre-Auction Signing
Rovman Powell – Returns to the squad

Gulf Giants
Azmatullah Omarzai – Returns to the squad
Blessing Muzarabani – Returns to the squad
David Miller – Pre-Auction Signing
Heinrich Klaasen – Pre-Auction Signing

MI Emirates
Nicholas Pooran – Returns to the squad
Rashid Khan – Returns to the squad
Romario Shepherd – Returns to the squad
Sherfane Rutherford – Pre-Auction Signing

Sharjah Warriorz
Adam Milne – Pre-Auction Signing
James Vince – Pre-Auction Signing
Waqar Salamkheil – Pre-Auction Signing
Sikandar Raza – Returns to the squad