The ILT20’s stakeholders, including players, franchise owners, sponsors, and broadcasters, are pleased with the league’s progress so far, despite the fact that it has not exactly been a spectacle. Nearly a week into the first edition, participants concur that the UAE could not have hosted a better event for the expansion of the game in this region.
The attendance has been low due to the absence of significant participation from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, but the organizers and broadcasters are optimistic about the outcome. India has seen excellent results from the tournament.
The opening ceremony, in which international stars performed, attracted 1.5 million concurrent viewers. According to a representative of Zee TV, the league’s broadcasters, the owner of Knight Riders, and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was a huge hit.
The fun, according to Mubashir Usmani, secretary general of the Emirates Cricket Board. The competition will get more intense as the teams try to get to the top of the league table. Because of the high-quality production and broadcast, viewers at home and abroad can expect an absolute feast of engaging and thrilling cricketing action.”
The tournament is being viewed more than anything else as a much-desired initiative for the UAE players, who are becoming more and more popular in world cricket.
the player of the match: Muhammad Waseem
Muhammad Waseem, a UAE batsman, won the player of the match award in the league’s second game for a batting performance that surpassed those of his team’s veterans like Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, and Dwayne Bravo. Sanchit Sharma, a local bowler, won the third game for the Gulf Giants owned by Adani.
It has its headquarters in the United Arab Emirates, where a lot of cricket is played, whether at ICC, Asian, or Pakistan events. It is their first tournament, and a large cricketing community resides here.
Sharjah Warriors team director R. Sridhar adds: It is transforming the talent in the UAE. It must have been eye-opening for them to meet and compete against some established players in this format. They are also witnessing a change room culture that is professional, which will undoubtedly stimulate their thinking and work ethics.”
The Emirates Cricket Board says that the money from the league will be used to help the country’s players and game grow. However, they have bigger ambitions. The ECB, with its cutting-edge infrastructure and history of hosting major international events, has long desired full membership in the ICC.
However, due to the nature of the rules, it is difficult for an associate member to become a full member unless they regularly compete against other members. However, the Associates are barely considered by the Full Members.
An Associate must, for instance, have registered victories over at least:
(a) one Full Member team in the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC CWC Qualifier, ICC World T20, or ICC World T20 Qualifier that finished in the top ten of the official ICC ODI or T20I rankings at the time of the relevant victory; (b) four victories in bilateral ODI and/or T20I cricket against two (2) or more Full Member teams that were ranked in the top ten of the official ICC ODI or T20I rankings (as applicable) at the time of the relevant victory; in both instances over the preceding eight years.
It is hard to reach the goal if you don’t play against full members on a regular basis. The Indian team’s former bowling coach, Bharat Arun, believes they will eventually achieve the goals.
ILT20 will be like the Indian Premier League for UAE cricketers. The head coach of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders asserts, “They will improve and eventually result from playing with and against international stars.”