ILT20 2026 Schedule: Season 5 Fixtures, Venues and Times

34 Matches, 30 Days, 3 Grounds: Your Complete ILT20 2026 Fixture Guide

When is ILT20 2026?

From Saturday, November 21 to Sunday, December 20, 2026, across the UAE.

How many matches?

34 T20s: 30 league games and four playoff matches.

Who plays in the opener?

Defending champions Desert Vipers face MI Emirates in Dubai, a rematch of last season's final.

What time do matches start?

Most games start at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST, 9:30 AM ET). Day games on double-header days start at 2:00 PM (3:30 PM IST, 5:00 AM ET).

The Story: An Earlier Window for Season 5

The International League T20 (ILT20) is the UAE's franchise T20 league. This is its fifth season, and it starts earlier than ever. The first three seasons ran in January and February, and Season 4 ran from December into January. This time the final is before Christmas, which avoids a clash with the SA20, starting on January 17.

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries), so a game lasts about three and a half hours.

Desert Vipers are the defending champions. They beat MI Emirates in the Season 4 final at the Dubai International Stadium on January 4, 2026, to win their first title. The two teams meet again in the opening game on November 21.

The league has produced a different champion in every season so far:

How the Tournament Works

1. League stage (30 matches): each of the six teams plays every other team twice, 10 games each.
2. Points table: the top four reach the playoffs. Teams level on points are usually separated by net run rate (a measure of how quickly a team scores compared with its opponents).
   • Playoffs:Qualifier 1: 1st vs 2nd. The winner goes straight to the final.
   • Eliminator: 3rd vs 4th. The loser is knocked out.
   • Qualifier 2: the loser of Qualifier 1 vs the winner of the Eliminator.
   • Final: the winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.

This means the top two teams get two chances to reach the final.

The Teams

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.

Full Schedule (Local, IST and ET)

League Stag

Playoffs

Local time is Gulf Standard Time (GST, UTC+4). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). ET is US Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5). Every match starts on the same calendar date in all three zones. In Pakistan, evening games start at 7:30 PM and day games at 3:00 PM.

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Start Times at a Glance

Venues

Key Dates and Fixture Notes

Saturday, November 21: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates opens the season in Dubai.

Six double-header days: November 22, 28 and 29, and December 2, 6 and 13. Each has a 2:00 PM game followed by a 6:30 PM game.

Sharjah Warriorz play all seven of the matches held in Sharjah.

Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates is played twice in the first eight days, on November 21 and November 28.

Monday, December 14: the league stage ends with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals.

Sunday, December 20: the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Stat Corner

Frequently Asked Questions

When does ILT20 2026 start?

Saturday, November 21, 2026, with Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates in Dubai at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST, 9:30 AM ET).

When and where is the ILT20 2026 final?

Sunday, December 20, 2026, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST, 9:30 AM ET).

Who are the defending ILT20 champions?

Desert Vipers, who beat MI Emirates in the Season 4 final in January 2026.

How many teams reach the ILT20 playoffs?

Four. The top two play Qualifier 1, and the third and fourth-placed teams play the Eliminator.

What time do ILT20 2026 matches start in India?

8:00 PM IST for evening games and 3:30 PM IST for day games.

Related Guides and Series Coverage

📋 ILT20 2026 Complete Guide

📋 ILT20 2026 Matches Schedule

📋 ILT20 2026 Standings and Points Table

📋 ILT20 2026 Squads and Players List