The next edition of the ILT20 has been brought forward to a December-January window with an eye on avoiding the cluttered January-February window as well as finishing up well before the men's T20 World Cup, which will run from February to March.
The ILT20, UAE's franchise-based league, is three seasons old and has always been played at the start of the year, clashing almost entirely with South Africa's SA20 and parts of the Australian BBL and Bangladesh's BPL and, before this year, the PSL in Pakistan. This time, though, it will begin on December 2, 2025 and run till January 4, 2026. December 2 is also the UAE's national day - Eid Al Etihad. There will be a slight overlap with the SA20, though, which starts on December 26, and a similar - or somewhat bigger - overlap with the BBL.
"Following extensive discussions with all our stakeholders, we believe the 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 tournament window is ideal for the DP World International League T20 Season 4," ILT20 chief executive David White said in a statement. "The ICC Men's T20 World Cup begins in early February, hence it was important for us to start and finish Season 4 well before the tournament, as it will allow the players playing both the DP World ILT20 and the T20 World Cup to prepare for national duty.
"In addition, we feel that the December-January window will provide the teams with the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players."
It's not clear yet if this is a one-off or will be the regular window for the tournament going forward.
ILT20 chairman and Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni said, "The UAE National Day is the day where we celebrate the United Arab Emirates, which is home to people from around the world, including millions of diehard cricket fans. It is a real honour for us to join the nation in the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of the region's biggest T20 league - the DP World ILT20 Season 4 - on the same day."
The ILT20 has been a six-team competition so far, with Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals winning the trophy in the first three seasons.