The DP World ILT20 2025 commence last month on January 11. As of Thursday, February 6, the business end of the tournament is underway with the all-important final to take place in three days’ time. The third edition of the franchise T20 tournament has been nothing short of an exhilarating experience for the cricket fraternity so far.
In an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, the DP World ILT20 Media Partners, Shoaib Akhtar, hailed the escalating popularity of the tournament over the years. Akhtar, who is also the brand ambassador of DP World ILT20, praised Sharjah Warriorz’s performances after starting slowly in this season, and hoped for the Tim Southee-led side to go all the way.
“The DP World ILT20 is getting bigger and better every year, as you know that. They wanted to be a part of this league for the second time. I think its numbers tell the truth when it comes to the TRP, when it comes to the reach of this tournament and you can see that the quality of players that are performing out there, it’s immense.
I think the top-four (teams) deserve a chance, but my heart goes out to Sharjah Warriorz because I think they started off very late in terms of playing the tournament well, but they gained momentum in terms of being in the place where they are today. It will be really good to see that if Sharjah Warriorz go out there and claim the title,” shared Akhtar in a chat with CricTracker.
It’s for the local kids, that’s what the idea was all about: Akhtar
Akhtar re-emphasised the primary objective of the 20-over tournament. The tournament was started with a vision to give the exposure of cricketers from the UAE with the international stars from around the world, and help them improve their game with quality of cricket on offer.
“But, you know that the brand is, it’s for the local kids, that’s what the idea was all about. To promote the local talent of the UAE; and it has been happening successfully,” he added.
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At the time of writing, Sharjah Warriorz seem to be on their way to featuring in Qualifier 2 of the tournament. A win against MI Emirates in the Eliminator will take them to the penultimate clash against the Desert Vipers, who already qualified after win in the first qualifier match by beating Dubai Capitals with a five-wicket margin.
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