Over 10,000 runs scored this season shows quality of cricket, says ILT20 CEO David White

Dubai: Runs were scored in abundance, quality matches were served and edge-of-the-seat thrillers were witnessed as the DP World ILT20 Season 3 turned out to be a huge hit in the UAE this year.

League’s CEO David White, while expressing his delight over the success of the league, said: “I think what summarises the success of season 3 is the excitement, world class players, and some of the matches going down to the wire. No doubt, this season has been a big step up in the quality of cricket, the scores have reflected that.

“For the first time in ILT20 this year, over 400 (430) sixes were scored and a total of 10,352 runs amassed by the batters in season 3 underscoring the high-octane matches in the star-studded league.

“More than 10,000 runs were scored this season, and we saw some standout individual performances too. The quality of cricket is also largely due to the quality of the pitches we had at our three tournament venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah,” he added.

The final witnessed a thrilling battle as Dubai Capitals chased down the target of 190 runs set by Desert Vipers with just four balls to spare, leaving fans enthralled till the very end.

White emphasised on the teams developing their own innate personality and team ethos. “The teams, after three seasons, are developing their own culture, personality and it is really coming through. What I am extremely pleased about is the competitiveness on the field, players are passionate and are really into it.”

The season witnessed individual brilliance with in-form Shai Hope of Dubai Capitals winning the Green Belt for best batter, MI Emirates Fazalhaq Farooqi claiming the White Belt for best bowler and Sam Curran taking home the Red Belt as MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the season.

Among some of the standout moments this season was home-grown prodigy Aayan Afzal Khan of Gulf Giants picking up four for 16 runs against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders — making it the best figures for a UAE player in the DP World ILT20. The previous record was held by Zuhaib Zuhair with 4 for 22 for Gulf Giants against Sharjah Warriors in the previous season.

UAE’s Farhan Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan and the experienced Muhammad Waseem too hogged the limelight this season with impressive performances that promises to aide their career with the national squad.

Elaborating on the impact of the league has had on developing cricket in UAE, White said, “DP World ILT20 plays a number of roles, from a community standpoint. It’s a great way to connect with the community, we do that with the children playing before the game, the children’s performance to the anthem, and we have a vibrant fan zone for families to come and enjoy together. Using the ILT20 brand to connect with the communities has been very good this season.”

From a high-performance point of view, White said, “DP World ILT20 is a critical contributor in the performance programme for the UAE players. I think after season 2, the UAE national team definitely improved, they qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in eight years. In the third season, the young bowlers have particularly been impressive and for them to be able to outperform on the international stage and learn from great coaches and players is only got to be good for UAE national side.”

He further said that the future of the league looks very bright. “We are past the start-up stage and I’m very positive of the future. We are starting to see young children back their favourite teams and there is stable following. We are very conscious of connecting with community and this year our social media numbers are phenomenal, and in association with Zee, the broadcast numbers are looking very good too.

“In my opinion, over time, the natural progression of this league is to expand into the Greater Gulf region. We have got so many Gulf nations with cricket fans, and at some stage the expansion could happen. And there is a very strong chance, in the near future for more than two UAE players and Associate Member nations players to be in the squad.

On having Indian representation in the league for the following editions, White said, “Everyone knows the rules with BCCI and everyone respects it. If a retired Indian player is granted release from BCCI and if they are still competitive internationally then of course we would like for them to play in the league,” he concluded.