Defending champions Dubai Capitals have locked in Rovman Powell, Shai Hope and Gulbadin Naib for the fourth ILT20, while handing new contracts to England left-armer Luke Wood, Afghanistan wrist-spinner Waqar Salamkheil and UAE seamer Muhammad Jawadullah.
Across town, MI Emirates held on to 17-year-old mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, plus Romario Shepherd and local six-hitter Muhammad Waseem, and added Chris Woakes and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis. Waseem’s numbers remain eye-catching: 165 maximums in 72 T20I knocks, a tally bettered only by Rohit Sharma and Martin Guptill.
Desert Vipers, beaten finalists last term, have brought in USA keeper-batter Andries Gous, presently turning out for Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket. Lockie Ferguson, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dan Lawrence all stay put.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, bottom last season, have responded by recruiting Liam Livingstone, Sherfane Rutherford and Alex Hales. At 36, Hales sits on 13,756 T20 runs at a strike rate of 145.28 and is within touching distance of Chris Gayle’s all-time record. Earlier this year he turned down a fresh deal with Nottinghamshire to focus on franchise cricket.
“We’ve looked for proven power at the top and experience in pressure moments,” said a Knight Riders official. “Alex and Liam tick both boxes.”
Sunil Narine and Andre Russell remain the pillars of the Knight Riders group. “The spine of the side was never in doubt,” the same official added.
Schedule shift
The league has moved to a December-January window to dodge the increasingly congested New-Year calendar and to wrap up before the men’s T20 World Cup in February. “We’ll confirm auction details shortly,” the ILT20 said in a statement.
Squads so far
Retained
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Phil Salt, Sunil Narine
Desert Vipers: Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Max Holden, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga
Dubai Capitals: Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Gulbadin Naib, Rovman Powell, Shai Hope
Gulf Giants: Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Gerhard Erasmus, James Vince, Mark Adair
MI Emirates: AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kusal Perera, Romario Shepherd, Tom Banton, Muhammad Waseem
Sharjah Warriorz: Johnson Charles, Kusal Mendis, Tim Southee, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
New signings
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Sherfane Rutherford
Desert Vipers: Andries Gous
Dubai Capitals: Luke Wood, Waqar Salamkheil, Muhammad Jawadullah
Gulf Giants: Azmatullah Omarzai, Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
MI Emirates: Chris Woakes, Kamindu Mendis
Sharjah Warriorz: Maheesh Theekshana, Sikandar Raza, Saurabh Netravalkar, Tim David
First thoughts
The Capitals look settled; the Knight Riders look explosive; the Vipers again appear balanced. MI Emirates’ punt on Ghazanfar shows faith in raw mystery spin, while Gulf Giants have strengthened batting depth with Moeen Ali and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Plenty can still change once the auction is done, but, for now, the headline is clear: stability for the reigning champions, fresh firepower for the chasing pack.
