The 4th edition of the International League T20 2025-26 (ILT20) is up and running with Liam Livingstone’s stunning six hitting powers at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium against the Sharjah Warriorz which included eight sixes in a blistering knock of 82. The carnage propelled the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, usually the slow starters, to an impressive first game win and has set stage for what may unfold this season.
The season also brings back the attention on the ILT20 veterans like England’s Alex Hales, the highest run scorer in the tournament history, who has changed alliances and will now represent the aforementioned Knight Riders and will look to bring his run scoring abilities to them. The ongoing season will bring into focus other England stalwarts like James Vince of Gulf Giants, Tom Kohler-Cadmore of the Warrirorz, Tom Banton of the MI Emirates, Sam Curran of the Desert Vipers and global icons like India’s Dinesh Karthik, West Indies’ Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.
Most Runs in International League T20
| Player | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD Hales | 36 | 1188 | 110 | 37.12 | 144.70 | 1 | 9 | 106 | 61 |
| JM Vince | 33 | 1055 | 86 | 35.16 | 131.05 | 0 | 10 | 105 | 28 |
| N Pooran | 31 | 1010 | 66* | 45.90 | 156.58 | 0 | 7 | 62 | 71 |
| T Kohler-Cadmore | 30 | 878 | 106* | 36.58 | 145.84 | 1 | 5 | 78 | 48 |
| Muhammad Waseem | 33 | 871 | 89* | 28.09 | 140.48 | 0 | 5 | 65 | 55 |
| T Banton | 22 | 754 | 105 | 37.70 | 136.59 | 2 | 3 | 78 | 26 |
| ADS Fletcher | 28 | 701 | 96* | 31.86 | 122.98 | 0 | 5 | 65 | 24 |
| Sikandar Raza | 34 | 695 | 60* | 33.09 | 132.88 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 26 |
| SO Hetmyer | 33 | 673 | 70 | 29.26 | 149.88 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 33 |
| R Powell | 33 | 670 | 97 | 33.50 | 145.33 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 41 |
The list kicks off with the energetic Alex Hales who has piled his trade since signing with the league in 2023. The star batter has gone on to accumulate 1,156 runs and counting since. His recent signing with the Knight Riders gives him a perfect chance to light up and take the franchise to new heights.
Hales is followed by his countryman in James Vince who is not too far behind with 1,055 runs in his bag. Notably, his steadfastness in anchoring the innings and his presence in the middle of the ground enabled the Gulf Giants to become the first ever champions of the league.
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Both of these English stalwarts are followed by the West Indies’ stat hitter, Nicholas Pooran and UAE’s captain Muhammad Waseem who plie their trade with the MI Emirates and helped them lift the trophy back in 2024. They have accumulated 1,010 and 871 runs respectively.
Another notable mention goes to Tom Kohler-Cadmore of the Sharjah Warriorz who has 864 runs to his name. The ongoing season might see him eclipse all his previous feats and guide the Warriorz to their first title.
Most Memorable Knocks in ILT20 History
While Liam Livingstone and Tim David have kickstarted the current season with a bang, the past seasons have seen some of the most memorable knocks in ILT20 history.
The most memorable and the most outrageous hitting came from the bat of Tom Kohler-Cadmore back in January 2023 where he smashed the Dubai Capitals for 106 in an innings which included six maximums and ten boundaries at a strike rate of 225.53. His century against the Dubai Capitals stands out as one of his finest knocks in the tournament.
The other notable mention goes to Tom Banton for his twin hundreds in the 2025 season where he smashed hundreds against the Desert Vipers and the Sharjah Warriorz. Both his innings pushed MI Emirates to go back to back however as things would have it the MI Emirates finished without any gold that season.
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Furthermore, James Vince’s knock to guide the Gulf Giants in the final of the inaugural edition made quite the headlines as Kiron Pollard’s cameo went in vain. His 83 runs came in a stiff run chase which saw the game tilt like a seesaw game.
Last but not the least, would be Alex Hales’ blistering century against his current team, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders back in January 2023. His knock of 110 included six sixes and seven boundaries and it also stands as the highest score in the league till date.
What’s Ahead
The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation’s (SACF) partnership with the ILT20 earlier this year has seen many Saudi Arabian players getting a chance to showcase their skills and to open a pathway for cricket growth in Saudi Arabia. The partnership also includes plans to host ILT20 matches in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the future with further plans for a women’s T20 League too.
This also will be done taking into consideration the Saudi Vision 2030 goal to diversify the economy through sports. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already staged events in collaboration with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and have taken proactive steps to promote football too by pulling in world’s greatest football stars.
