According to the Emirates News Agency the second season of the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament in Kuwait opened on Thursday with defending champions Boubayan Warriors taking on Failaka Guardians at 5:30 p.m. local time followed by Kuwait Falcons against Pearl Strikers at 9 p.m. Mohammad Aslam captains the Boubayan Warriors with Bilal Tahir as deputy while Yasin Patel leads Kuwait Falcons alongside Clinto Anto. Pearl Strikers are captained by Ali Zaheer with Ravija Sandaruwan as vice-captain and Failaka Guardians have Shiraz Khan in the same role. The final is set for September 25 with all matches offering exposure ahead of the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction scheduled for October 1.
Anudeep Chenthamara who played for Dubai Capitals in the main competition last season is part of the Pearl Strikers lineup the agency added. Coverage is available live on Cricket Lounge TV. The event forms part of a partnership established last year between DP World ILT20 and Kuwait Cricket to expand opportunities for regional cricketers.
President of Kuwait Cricket Haider Farman said “We are delighted to welcome the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament back to Kuwait for its second edition. Following the success of last year’s tournament which saw several Kuwait-based players earn opportunities in DP World ILT20 Season 4 this year’s edition takes on even greater significance ahead of the Season 5 Player Auction.” He added that the tournament provides players with an important platform to showcase their talent compete at a high level and put themselves in contention for opportunities on the global stage. Farman noted that Kuwait Cricket is proud of the pathway this partnership continues to create for emerging cricketers in Kuwait and looks forward to another highly competitive and exciting edition of the tournament.
The development tournament in Kuwait complements the fourth edition of the parallel DP World ILT20 Development Tournament in the UAE that features franchise development sides from the six main teams. Previous editions of the platform have produced more than 15 graduates to the main DP World ILT20 and international cricket according to an ILT20 overview with over 16 000 runs and 770 wickets recorded across those tournaments. The initiative reflects the league’s aim to grow cricket throughout the GCC region through such talent identification events.
Partnerships with boards in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have enabled players from those countries to enter the main ILT20 player auction for the first time an assessment from league officials found. The main DP World ILT20 Season 5 is scheduled to begin in December with franchises able to select standout performers from these development competitions. Organizers have described the tournaments as a direct pathway for emerging players to compete at the highest level within the league structure.
