The tournament will be played from January 6 to February 12, 2023. There are six teams – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (owned by the Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital LLC), Dubai Capitals (GMR Group), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Limited), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global Capital Limited). Each team can have up to 18 cricketers, with a maximum of 12 overseas players, a minimum of four players from the UAE, and a minimum of four from other Associate Nations.

The six teams will be play in a double round-robin league format (every team will play every other team twice). This will be followed by the four Playoffs.

ILT20 2023: List of captains for each International League T20 team

MI Emirates – Kieron Pollard: A mainstay for Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League for over a decade, Pollard announced his retirement ahead of the auction for the 2023 edition. Mumbai appointed him as batting coach. At the ILT20 2023, Pollard will lead MI Emirates, owned by the same franchise. A former West Indian captain, Pollard is one of the greatest Twenty20 cricketers of all time: his career aggregate stands at 11,915 runs at a strike rate of 150 and 309 wickets while conceding 8.22 an over.

Sharjah Warriors – Moeen Ali: Moeen, one of the earliest cricketers to sign up for ILT20 2023, leads Worcestershire, has filled in as England captain from time to time, and was part of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup in November. His numbers – 5,601 runs at 142, 175 wickets at 7.65 – demonstrate his brilliance in the format.

Dubai Capitals – Rovman Powell: Dubai Capitals appointed Powell, the West Indies ODI vice-captain (he has also led them), as their leader. While not as experienced as some other captains in the league, Powell has played cricket here, leading Northern Warriors in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10. Earlier this year, he also led Jamaica Tallawahs to their third CPL title.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – captain not announced yet

Desert Vipers – captain not announced yet

Gulf Giants – captain not announced yet