Kentish contingent prepare for ILT20
Wednesday 11th January 2023
Kent names past & present will be a part of the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20), held across the UAE, beginning this Friday.
Kent Spitfires’ T20 opener is against Gloucestershire at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday 24 May 2023 – entry to all scheduled T20 home matches is included in Kent Cricket Memberships, on sale now.
Take advantage of Early Bird discounts before 31 January, saving £45 on Club Membership today, which gets complimentary entry to all 40 scheduled days of Kent cricket at home this Summer:
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The first match of the tournament on 13 January will see Fred Klaassen potentially make his debut for Dubai Capitals, a team that also has amongst its roster former ‘McSpitfire’ George Munsey, as well as England’s Joe Root, Dan Lawrence & Ravi Bopara.
The Capitals, owned by the team behind the Delhi Capitals, are one of six sides owned by investors with ties to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Day Two of the tournament, Sharjah Warriors will take on the MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. Helmed by former Kent first-team coach Paul Farbrace, Kent’s Joe Denly is a part of the Warriors squad alongside former Spitfires Mohammad Nabi & Marcus Stoinis, captained by England’s Moeen Ali.
The Warriors will be straight back in action on Sunday 15 January with a tie against the Desert Vipers – the franchise that Sam Billings has joined after the completion of his stint with Brisbane Heat in the KFC Big Bash League.
Billings is joined at the Vipers by seven other English cricketers, including international teammates Alex Hales, Tom Curran, Ben Duckett & Tymal Mills. Former Kent all-rounder Azhar Mahmood is on the coaching staff for the Vipers.
Vitality Blast winner Qais Ahmad is also involved in the tournament, & will play for the Gulf Giants.
The number of overseas players is down to the tournament’s rules – the only restriction is that at least one cricketer from the UAE must be included in the squad & one from an Associate Nation.
ILT20 will be broadcast in the UK on Zee TV, which can be accessed via channel 709 on Sky & channel 809 on Virgin Media.
The tournament will run as a double round-robin format, with the final round of matches finishing on Monday 6 February, before a playoff schedule that will run until the Final of the tournament on Sunday 12 February. Preparations for the beginning of the English Summer will not be affected by the Kent players featuring in this tournament.
Kent Spitfires’ T20 opener is against Gloucestershire at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday 24 May 2023 – entry to all scheduled T20 home matches is included in Kent Cricket Memberships, on sale now.
Save £45 for a limited time only by buying your Kent Membership today:
Buy 2023 Membership now
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