ILT20 Trophy (Source: AFP)The six franchises for Season 5 of the DP World ILT20 have announced their pre-auction retention and new direct signings. High-profile newcomers include Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Finn Allen making their tournament debuts, alongside Marcus Stoinis returning after a three-year break.The fifth season of the UAE's International League T20 (ILT20) will begin on November 22 this year and run till December 20, featuring the usual 34 matches, 30 matches in the league stage and the four playoffs, at the three primary cricket centres in the region: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The final will be played in Dubai, as has been the case in the four previous seasons.The window for the ILT20 had been switched prior to the last season, when it was played in December-January instead of January-February; it's even earlier this season. This is done to avoid overlaps with the many other leagues that take place around the same time, including the SA20, which is scheduled to begin after January 10 next year.That being said, take a look at the key marquee retention and new signings announced for each franchise ahead of the ILT20 2027 auction, which is scheduled to take place on on October 1.ILT20 2027 Pre-Auction Signings By All Six Teams Abu Dhabi Knight Riders:Finn Allen – Pre-Auction SigningJason Holder – Pre-Auction Signing (Played for ADKR as Wildcard in Season 4)Matthew Tromp – Pre-Auction SigningSunil Narine – Returns to the squadDesert Vipers:Andries Gous – Returns to the squadDan Lawrence – Returns to the squadMujeeb-ur-Rahman – Pre-Auction Signing (Played for Dubai Capitals in Season 4)Shimron Hetmyer – Pre-Auction Signing (Played for DV as Wildcard in Season 4)Dubai Capitals:Marcus Stoinis – Pre-Auction SigningMustafizur Rahman – Returns to the squadNoor Ahmad – Pre-Auction Signing (played for the Vipers in Season 4)Rovman Powell – Returns to the squadGulf Giants:Azmatullah Omarzai – Returns to the squadBlessing Muzarabani – Returns to the squadDavid Miller – Pre-Auction SigningHeinrich Klaasen – Pre-Auction SigningMI Emirates:Nicholas Pooran – Returns to the squadRashid Khan – Returns to the squadRomario Shepherd – Returns to the squadSherfane Rutherford – Pre-Auction SigningSharjah Warriorz:Adam Milne – Pre-Auction Signing (played for the Warriorz in Season 3)James Vince – Pre-Auction SigningWaqar Salamkheil – Pre-Auction SigningSikandar Raza – Returns to the squadILT20 2027 Auction set to transform uncapped talent into international prospectsThe teams will complete their squads by adding UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and additional foreign players - a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 23 players per squad, at the auction in Dubai on October 1. Following the auction, each team will be permitted to add one Wildcard signing.Also read: SA20 2027 List Of All Retained And Pre-Signed PlayersNotably, every franchise is required to include at least four UAE players in its squad, with at least one capped UAE player and one Under-23 UAE player among them. As in previous seasons, two UAE players must also feature in every starting XI.Now for the upcoming Season, each franchise must additionally recruit at least four Afghan players and one Irish player as part of its mandatory allocation. These additions inevitably reduce the flexibility franchises previously enjoyed when selecting overseas players.Safe to say, for the first four seasons, the ILT20 successfully established itself as one of the world's premier franchise competitions outside the traditional Full Member nations.However, season 5 presents a different opportunity. The league now has a chance not only to accelerate the development of UAE cricket itself, but also to strengthen its identity as a regional competition that creates meaningful opportunities for players from Associate Members.Young cricketers across the Emirates can now see a clearer pathway: from age-group cricket to domestic competitions, from domestic cricket to the national team and ILT20.Also read: Former Australia Star To Captain Portugal; Set Eyes On T20 World Cup 2028
