UAE players could miss ILT20 2026 [Source: AFP]In a huge jolt to the International League T20, famously called ILT20, the tournament could miss out on the services of the UAE players in the forthcoming edition to be played late in 2026.The fourth season of the ILT20 is scheduled to commence from November 22 to December 20, and the player auction is set to take place later this week in Dubai on October 1. With the latest reports suggesting UAE players will be absent from the season, teams will need to re-strategise for the event in Dubai.UAE players’ availability for ILT20 in doubtILT20 is among the leading T20 franchise leagues, which is played during the winter window in the Middle East, and it attracts star players from across the world. With the league situated in the Gulf, UAE players have been central to teams’ plans, and the auction dynamics revolve around them.However, as reported by Cricinfo, UAE players’ availability for Season 4 remains uncertain. This is because the tournament clashes with the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027 qualifiers.The ICC event is scheduled from December 1 to 22, and the venue is yet to be announced. This means a major chunk of the World Cup Qualifiers will overlap with the ILT20.ILT20’s interim COO, Mike Fordham, spoke to Cricinfo regarding this and openly revealed the situation to the media.“It is possible that UAE may be in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in December, depending on other results before then. If that is the case, then some UAE players will miss a portion of the ILT20 season. Other players not selected would remain fully available in this circumstance, including many of the top performers from the UAE in the league in recent seasons.” Mike Fordham said.Also Read: ILT20 Boss Breaks Silence On Babar Azam's ParticipationEmirates board asks ICC to shift World Cup QualifiersIn the same report mentioned above, it is revealed that the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) took the matter to the ICC in recent days and checked if the World Cup Qualifiers could be moved to January.However, the ICC shut the door on any potential change in the Qualifiers schedule, considering a tightly packed global cricket calendar in the lead-up to the main event in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.UAE are yet to qualify for World Cup playoffsThe UAE are at the bottom of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 table. They only have 18 points to their name, with a few ODIs to be played in order to qualify for the playoff tournament.They have 8 matches remaining before the Qualifier tournament, and to go a step closer to the World Cup, they will need to finish in the top-4 of the ICC CWC League 2. They have to win more than half of their next matches, scheduled against the USA, Namibia, the Netherlands and Oman.Also Read: South Africa's Predicted Playing XI Vs Australia, 3rd ODI, 2026
