International League T20 (ILT20) is a professional franchise league introduced in 2023. It is run by the Emirates Cricket Board, with six franchises. The tournament has successfully hosted four editions so far. It is the first-ever ICC Associate member-run franchise league.
In December 2023, the ILT20 gained the List A status. The six teams to take part in it are Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, Dubai Capitals, Desert Vipers, Sharjah Warriors, and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Most of these teams are owned by the IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
This tournament is run in the window of December to January. Four of the six ILT20 franchises have won the championship in the first four seasons. In this article, we will talk about the list of winners for ILT20 so far.
List of winners for ILT20 (2023 - 2026)
1. Gulf Giants - 2023 ILT20 Champion
The inaugural edition took place in 2023 with six teams. It had 34 matches in total, including four playoff games. Gulf Giants, under the captaincy of James Vince, finished the league stage at the top of the table. They faced Desert Vipers in Qualifier 1 and lost it by 19 runs. But they beat MI Emirates in Qualifier 2 to qualify for the final.
Captain James Vince scored a match-winning knock of 83* off 56 balls to take his team to the final. In the final, the Giants faced the Vipers once again. This time they beat them by 7 wickets to lift the title. Carlos Brathwaite (3/19) and Chris Lynn (72* off 50) played crucial roles in the final to take the Giants to the title. Gulf Giants' Chris Jordan took the most wickets (20) and won the Player of the Tournament award.
2. MI Emirates - 2024 ILT20 Champion
The second edition took place in 2024 in the UAE. MI Emirates, led by Keiron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran, lifted the second edition of the ILT20. They finished at the top of the points table and faced the then-defending champion, Gulf Giants, in Qualifier 1. Akeal Hosein 2/13 helped them to beat the Giants by 45 runs and make it to the final.
In the final, they faced Dubai Capitals. Half-centuries from Andre Fletcher (53 off 37) and Nicholas Pooran (57* off 27) helped MIE to post a big total of 208/3, and they won it by 45 runs to lift the title and become the ILT20 2024 champion.
3. Dubai Capitals - 2025 ILT20 Champion
The Capitals finished the second edition as runners-up, but they completed the unfinished business in 2025 and won the third edition under the captaincy of Sam Billings. The Capitals finished the league stage in second spot and faced Desert Vipers in Qualifier 1. They had a big total of 190 to chase, and Gulbadin Naib's 62 off 39 helped DC win the game and make it to the final.
In the final, the Capitals met Desert Vipers once again, and they beat them for the fourth time in one season. In the final as well, they needed to chase 190 runs, and Rovman Powell's 38-ball 63 powered them through to the win. They won the game by 4 wickets and became the ILT20 2025 champion.
4. Desert Vipers - 2025-26 ILT20 Champion
After finishing two editions in the final, Desert Vipers finally had their hands on the ILT20 trophy. They became the most recent team to win the championship, and Sam Curran led the franchise to the glory. They were the best team of the competition and beat MI Emirates in Qualifier 1. Andries Gous struck 120* off 58 in Qualifier 1.
In the final, they faced MIE again and beat them by 46 runs to lift the title. Captain Sam Curran was incredible throughout the tournament. He scored the second-most runs (323) in the tournament and took seven wickets as well. As a result, he also won the Player of the Tournament award and became the fourth captain to win the ILT20.