In a big development, MI Emirates have roped in destructive batter Tim David as a wildcard ahead of the second edition of the ILT20 tournament, starting today.
For the unversed, all the teams can add two wildcard entries apart from the 22-member squad. The wildcard players can come at any stage during the league.
Australian batter Tim David has already been playing for several franchises owned by Reliance Industries. He is already part of franchises such as Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI Cape Town in SA20, and MI New York in the Major Cricket League.
The recent association marks his fourth franchise within the Mumbai Indians framework. He was part of the MI New York’s title-winning campaign in the inaugural edition of the Major Cricket League in 2023.
Tim David is coming into the tournament on the back of a mediocre performance for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League 2023-24. In 10 matches, he could only manage to score 112 runs at 12.00. His team Hobart Hurricanes too failed to secure a spot in the playoffs, managing only 4 wins in 10 matches.
Meanwhile, the MI Emirates starts their campaign against Dubai Capitals on 20th January at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The season starts today with a much-anticipated clash between Sharjah Warriors and Gulf Giants at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Recently, Dan Lawrence was also included in the Desert Vipers as a wildcard for the upcoming edition.
ILT20 2024 Teams
ILT20 2024 is slated to be played from 19th January to 17th February 2024. The six teams that participated this season are as follows:
- Desert Vipers
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Sharjah Warriors
- Dubai Capitals
- MI Emirates
- Gulf Giants
Season 2 of ILT20 will take place in a round-robin format, while the top-four teams will qualify for the playoffs. MI Emirates finished in third spot at the end of the league stage last season. In 10 matches, they managed to accumulate five wins and suffered four losses. Their campaign ended with a 4-wicket loss at the hands of Gulf Giants in the qualifier 2 encounter.
It will be interesting to see if they can go all the way through and lift their first title in the tournament. Nicholas Pooran will lead the team in the upcoming season.
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