Inaugural International League T20 set to start on January 13

The UAE's new International League T20 (ILT20) is set to begin on January 13 in Dubai, with the final likely to be contested on February 12. The six-team ILT20 is expected to have 34 matches, with each team playing the others twice before four playoff matches.

The tournament is set to clash entirely with South Africa's new T20 league, the SA20, which has announced fixtures running from January 10 to February 11, 2023. Australia's Big Bash League will also be on at the time - it starts in December and runs till February 4. The 2023 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), meanwhile, is set to begin on February 9, and the Bangladesh Premier League is also expected to be played somewhere in the same window.

While all this adds up to huge competition to attract the best players and also broadcast audiences, the ILT20 will take comfort in the fact that it has a strong roster of players committed to the tournament, including Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Trent Boult, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sikandar Raza.

Several of the ILT20 franchises are owned by Indian companies, including those that own the IPL's Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals. The owners of Manchester United FC, Lancer Capital, are also on the list. The contracts of top players in the cash-rich league are expected to be in the region of USD 450,000 per season, making it the second-most lucrative T20 league behind the IPL.