MI Emirates, the reigning champions, set to face off against Dubai Capitals in ILT20 season 3 opener

Dubai [UAE]: The highly anticipated International League T20 season 3 is set to kick off with a thrilling encounter between the current champions MI Emirates and the Dubai Capitals at the iconic Dubai International Stadium. This exciting match-up will serve as a rematch of last season's final, promising fans a riveting start to the new season. The action will begin with the first ball being bowled at 6:00 pm local time on Saturday, [Date], 2025.

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will launch their Season 3 campaign with a home game against Season 1 finalists' the Desert Vipers on Sunday, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. In the evening game on the same day, Season 1 champions Gulf Giants will face the Sharjah Warriorz in their tournament opener at the DIS. The first of eight matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is set to be an exciting clash between the hosts Sharjah Warriorz and Dubai Capitals on Friday, - at 6:30 pm.

Fifteen tournament matches will be played at the Dubai International Stadium. Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium will host 11 while the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be the centre stage for eight Season 3 matches. The evening games will begin at 6:30 pm on weekdays and at 6:00 pm on the weekends. On the double-header weekends, the afternoon games will be played at 2:00 pm.

A total of 34 matches will be staged in the month-long tournament which will conclude with the final at the DIS on Sunday, 9 February. The entire Season 3 will be broadcast live on Zee Network in India. The syndicate broadcast partners around the world will be announced in the coming days.

The six ILT20 franchises have retained T20 superstars like Andre Russell , Sunil Narine , Alex Hales , Sherfane Rutherford , David Warner , Rovman Powell , Chris Jordan , Shimron Hetmyer , Akeal Hossein , Nicholas Pooran , Adil Rashid and Johnson Charles .

Additionally, Jason Roy , Fakhar Zaman , Shai Hope , Lockie Ferguson , Roston Chase , Matthew Wade , Ibrahim Zadran and Romario Shepherd will make their DP World ILT20 debuts in Season 3 and dazzle the crowds. The latest squad list is available here. Additional UAE players will be selected next week.

ILT20 CEO David White: "We are set for a bigger and better edition of the DP World International League T20 as we unveil the schedule for Season 3 with the first ball to be bowled at our iconic Dubai International Stadium on Saturday, 11 January with the defending champions MI Emirates hosted by the Dubai Capitals in what would be a rematch of Season 2's grand finale. Our six teams have gathered a line-up of world-class T20 stars besides the best of the UAE talent who will combine to provide rich entertainment to cricket fans during the 34-match tournament. "The DP World ILT20's glittering trophy is one of the most sought-after prizes in the cricket calendar and we expect a fierce battle between the global superstars who will be giving it their all for their respective franchises. "The DP World ILT20 provides both spectators at the stadium and fans from around the world via our global broadcast partners Zee Network the opportunity to witness riveting cricketing action. In the coming days, we would be launching Season 3 match tickets with special offers for both the diehards and fans while encouraging families to come in numbers, especially during the weekends at our fan carnivals at the stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. "The weather across UAE will be ideal for cricket for both afternoon and night games, for fans and tourists that are set to visit the country in these months, the DP World ILT20 is surely an experience they cannot afford to miss." International League T20 - Season 3 match schedule: January 11: Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates, Dubai - 6:00 pmJanuary 12: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers, Abu Dhabi - 2:00 pmJanuary 12: Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriorz, Dubai - 6:00 pmJanuary 13: MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmJanuary 14: Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 15: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmJanuary 16: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 17: Sharjah Warriorz vs Dubai Capitals, Sharjah - 6:30 pmJanuary 18: Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai - 2:00 pmJanuary 18: Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals, Sharjah - 6:00 pmJanuary 19: Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates, Sharjah - 2:00 pmJanuary 19: Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai - 6:00 pmJanuary 20: Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 21: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmJanuary 22: Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriorz, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 23: Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 24: MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmJanuary 25: Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers, Sharjah - 2:00 pmJanuary 25: MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants, Abu Dhabi - 6:00 pmJanuary 26: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi - 2:00 pmJanuary 26: Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants, Sharjah - 6:00 pmJanuary 27: MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmJanuary 28: Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriorz, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 29: Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants, Dubai - 6:30 pmJanuary 30: Sharjah Warriorz vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Sharjah - 6:30 pmJanuary 31: Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates, Dubai - 6:30 pmFebruary 1: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants, Abu Dhabi - 6:00 pmFebruary 2: MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriorz, Abu Dhabi - 2:00 pmFebruary 2: Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai - 6:00 pmFebruary 3: Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals, Sharjah - 6:00 pmFebruary 5: Qualifier 1 - Seed 1 vs Seed 2, Dubai - 6:30 pmFebruary 6: Eliminator - Seed 3 vs Seed 4, Abu Dhabi - 6:30 pmFebruary 7: Qualifier 2 - Loser of Q1 vs Winner of Eliminator, Sharjah - 6:30 pmFebruary 9 Final: Winner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2, Dubai - 6:00 pm Venues:Abu Dhabi - Zayed Cricket StadiumDubai - Dubai International StadiumSharjah - Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

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