|| CF DESK ||

The inaugural ILT20 tournament in the UAE will kick off on January 13 with Dubai Capitals taking on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, with the final scheduled for February 12.

There will be a total of 34 games, 30 in the league stage and four in the playoffs, with the tournament opener and final both taking place at the Dubai International Stadium.

In total, 16 games will be played in Dubai, with ten games played at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium and eight games played at Sharjah International Stadium. Five days of doubleheaders have been scheduled, all on weekends.

The six-team competition will have all the teams [Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriors are the other teams] playing the others twice, with the top four making it to the playoffs.

Thereafter, there will be an eliminator and two qualifiers - like in the IPL - to identify the two finalists.

The ILT20 is currently part of a jam-packed January 2023 calendar, with dates clashing with a number of other franchise leagues.

The SA20, South Africa's new T20 league, has announced fixtures for the period January 10 to February 11. The Big Bash League, which begins in December and runs until February 4, will also be on at the time.