The ILT20’s latest squad rules – four Afghanistan players and one from Ireland in every list from the 2026 season – have landed with a thud inside franchise offices. All six clubs have written back asking for a rethink, but, for now, the league says the changes are “mandatory” and will stand for season five, pencilled in for 22 November-20 December 2026.
How the squads must now look
• 21-23 players in total
• At least 11 from the 12 ICC Full-Member nations
• Four from the UAE (one capped, one Under-23)
• Two from the wider Gulf Co-operation Council
• Four from Afghanistan
• One from Ireland
• One from any other Associate nation (not UAE, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait)
The playing XI must include at least two Afghans, two UAE players and one Associate cricketer.
Why the change?
Player availability – or the lack of it – has dogged the competition’s first four editions, mainly because the window overlaps with Australia’s BBL and, on occasion, South Africa’s SA20. Franchises had hoped the 2025-26 calendar would bring relief, but the new regulations, dropped into their inboxes in May, have created fresh uncertainty.
A senior team executive said off the record: “Clubs understand the strategic link with Afghanistan and Ireland, but being forced to sign four and one respectively makes roster balance tricky, especially when you’re already juggling local quotas.”
Afghanistan already limit their top names to three overseas leagues per year, Pakistan and Bangladesh have similar caps, and other boards are considering the idea. The ILT20, run by the Emirates Cricket Board – itself an Associate member – fears a future where major Test nations ring-fence their stars and the tournament’s selling power shrinks. Stockpiling Afghan talent, the logic goes, offers a supply of quality T20 specialists who are less likely to be pulled away by national duty in January.
Commercial reality
Sponsors and broadcasters still prize Full-Member players. One rights consultant put it bluntly: “It isn’t easy flogging packages without a couple of heavyweight internationals on every poster.” The league hopes the guaranteed Afghan and Irish presence, plus an existing UAE core, creates a distinct identity and reassures advertisers that player pools won’t vanish at the last minute.
The ICC’s wider mood music matters, too. Following its May board meetings, cricket’s governing body said it would form a working group to “assess harmonisation of franchise cricket with the international calendar”. Although no formal restrictions are in place yet, administrators privately accept that the sport cannot absorb unlimited domestic leagues without clashing badly with bilateral series.
Franchise concerns
• Cost: An extra quota risks inflating auctions at a time when budgets are tight.
• Depth: Afghanistan boasts plenty of T20-ready players; Ireland fewer, so recruitment staff are scrambling for options.
• Flexibility: Coaches want the freedom to pick form players rather than tick nationality boxes.
One head coach, speaking on background, noted: “We’re happy to unearth an Afghan mystery spinner or an Irish finisher, but we’d rather that be our choice, not a line in the regulations.”
Possible middle ground
Officials have floated minor tweaks – allowing three Afghans instead of four, for instance, or phasing in the rule over two seasons. As yet, the ILT20 has given no public hint of compromise.
What next?
With the 2026 contracting cycle due to open later this year, clarity is urgent. Players need to know whether signing an ILT20 deal counts towards their own board’s league cap; clubs need to model budgets; agents want transparency before shopping their clients around.
For now, franchises are preparing both best-case and worst-case lists, just in case the league blinks late. History suggests it rarely does. The ILT20’s desire for stability – and perhaps a dash of uniqueness – appears strong enough to risk upsetting its current investors.
A slightly untidy situation, then, but one that reflects the broader tussle between domestic T20 growth and an already packed international calendar. The 2026 season, if nothing else, promises to be an intriguing stress test.
