The Gulf Giants, Desert Vipers, and MI Emirates have released the list of retained players for the next ILT20 Season 2, which will start on January 13, 2024. The stage is set for an entertaining matchup between these dominant teams because the winners and runners-up from the first season have retained the key members of their squads.
Meanwhile, The Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriors, and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have decided to start over by dismissing a number of players and making room in their lineups.
The Gulf Giants, who won the inaugural season’s title, have announced that they will keep an astounding 11 players that won them the inaugural edition. While underlining the need for stability and consistency, head coach Andy Flower additionally acknowledged the need for progress and evolution.
The Desert Vipers’ director of cricket, Tom Moody, highlighted that one of their targets was to maintain a core group of players who were important in helping them finish second last year.
Moeen Ali, who played for the Sharjah Warriors the previous season, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who represented the Dubai Capitals, are notable players whose names have been omitted from the list of players retained.
Both players have transferred to the SA20, which is scheduled to play alongside the ILT20, the BBL, and the Bangladesh Premier League.
Among the renowned group of players who were kept on are Alex Hales, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shimron Hetmyer, all of whom are expected to enthral fans again with their outstanding abilities and match-winning performances.
The teams can now focus on bringing in new players to improve their rosters as the player retention procedure comes to an end. The last day for signing foreign players is July 31. Franchises are permitted to keep a maximum of 2 UAE players.
ILT20 Season 2 promises to be an exciting spectacle for cricket fans across the world, with the retained players prepared to build on their prior success and with the addition of new stars.
ILT20 Season 2 List of Players Released and Retained By the Franchises:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Released: Brandon King, Colin Ingram, Connor Esterhuizen, Kennar Lewis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Fahad Nawaz, Raymon Reifer, Paul Stirling, Brandon Glover, Akeal Hosein, Lahiru Kumara, Ravi Rampaul, Zawar Farid
Desert Vipers
Released: Sam Billings, Adam Lyth, Benny Howell, Ronak Panoly, Jake Lintott, Tymal Mills, Shiraz Ahmed, Ruben Trumpelmann, Mark Watt
Dubai Capitals
Released: Chirag Suri, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazratullah Zazai, Dan Lawrence, George Munsey, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Robin Uthappa, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bopara, Chamika Karunaratne, Yusuf Pathan, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Hazrat Luqman, Fred Klaassen, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jash Giyanani, Ollie White
Gulf Giants
Released: Tom Banton, Ollie Pope, C Rizwan, Ashwanth Valthapa, Liam Dawson, Dominic Drakes, David Wiese, Qais Ahmad, Tom Helm
MI Emirates
Released: Vriitya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Najibullah Zadran, Lorcan Tucker, Bas de Leede, Tom Lammonby, Craig Overton, Samit Patel, Imran Tahir, Brad Wheal, Zahir Khan
Sharjah Warriors
Released: Chris Benjamin, Evin Lewis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dawid Malan, Alishan Sharafu, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Mohammad Nabi, Paul Walter, Karthik Meiyappan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Bilal Khan, Jamal Todd
