‘You’re always going to get some overlap’- DP World ILT20 CEO believes of T20 clashing of schedules league arrives is inevitable

The DP World ILT20 2025 was a domestic 20-over franchise competition that just ended amid a busy international cricket calendar. It’s interesting to note that it coincided with the third edition of the SA20’s schedule, which led to heated discussions about preparation by both leagues’ management.

The CEO of DP World ILT20, David White, drew attention to the differences between cricket’s schedules in the Caribbean and England and those in other regions of the world.

What’s so intriguing about league cricket, in my opinion, is that, when you look at cricket worldwide, the only countries that stand out are probably England and a little portion of the northern hemisphere’s West Indies. Therefore, the southern hemisphere is where the majority of international cricket matches and leagues are played. Therefore, all of those nations must play cricket simultaneously,” David White said, as cited by Hindustan Times.

The DP World ILT20 is held in the winter because of the climate, which White ascribed to the fixture congestion caused by time zones.

“South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, and New Zealand are all playing at this time of year. Because of the geography of cricket, it is unavoidable that we play in the winter in the United Arab Emirates because the summer months are simply too hot. That falls inside the same window of the southern hemisphere. Therefore, I believe that people overlook cricket’s geography. Numerous teams from the southern hemisphere are competing simultaneously. Therefore, I believe there will always be some overlap,” he continued.

We would like to consider the following in the years to come: David White

The league’s intentions to include more local players in the future editions were also discussed by the previous CEO of New Zealand Cricket. Only two United Arab Emirates players are now allowed to be included in the participating teams’ starting lineups.

“All right, excellent point. It’s something we hope to consider in the years to come. We’ll be thinking about it this upcoming season as there will be an increasing number of UAE players and associate players. However, I must admit that we’ve been thrilled with the UAE players’ performances, and they’re actively working to bring about that change,” he remarked.

The Dubai Capitals defeated the Desert Vipers by a score of four wickets to win the just finished tournament. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the former was able to chase down the 190-run target with four deliveries remaining as the match came down to the very end.