The organizers of the International League T20 (ILT20) are open to a new window for the tournament to avoid clashes with other leagues around the world. While the third edition of the ILT20 is scheduled from January 11 to February 9, 2024, these dates are likely to coincide with the Big Bash League and potentially the SA20. However, tournament CEO David White has indicated that the scheduling could change in the future.
“Ideally, we would like a window where we have no clash with any other league. There is an opportunity maybe in February-March, just before the IPL, but nothing has been decided yet,” White told Sportstar.
The organizers have learned from the inaugural edition in 2023, where crowd turnout was low. They made significant changes in the second season, resulting in a 300% increase in attendance. “The big lesson from season one to season two was the crowd. In season one, the crowds were poor and we made a conscious effort to drive more attendance,” White said. “So, in the second season, we had a 300% increase in crowds and we had about 200,000 people watch season two, including a crowd of 25,000 for the final. That’s a big lesson…,” he added.
White believes that finding a separate window will be crucial for the league’s growth. “We want to continue growing the crowd and we are also really focusing on making the UAE and ILT20 a destination venue. So, we are working closely with our partners to make people from India in particular come over and watch the tournament. A lot of people come over to visit Dubai to enjoy the shopping, the weather and all the activities. We would like to incorporate an offering to invite them along to the cricket as well, which would be a really exciting opportunity,” White said.
The organizers are not looking to expand the number of teams in the near future. “We are looking to consolidate at this point in time and ensure that the teams become economically established, sustainable and that they develop their own fan base. That’s most important over the next few years…” White stated.
The ILT20 has garnered interest in India due to the ownership of three IPL franchises in the league. The organizers and broadcaster Zee Entertainment, which holds exclusive broadcast and streaming rights for ten years, are focused on innovations to make the league more attractive. “In terms of innovation, we had an impact player as well. Apart from that, what we will rest on is the quality of cricket, the quality of the facilities and the quality of the broadcast. And the offering will be attractive. In terms of players, we’ve retained a large number of the quality players from last year. Most of them have got international and IPL experience,” White said, adding that new signings for the season will be revealed on September 15.
White emphasized the importance of the three IPL teams – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals – in attracting fans. “They are very established, well performing organisations and are big brands themselves. And that brings a lot of attractiveness to the league…”
The league is currently unable to sign Indian players due to the BCCI’s policy, but they are considering former Indian players. “In terms of Indian players, of course we know that the BCCI doesn’t release them and we all know that and that’s fine. In terms of former Indian players, we will consider former players, but they need to be of a standard because this is a very high-quality standard of cricket with nine international cricketers. So, we need the standard to be very high,” White explained.
Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer at Zee Entertainment, believes that the involvement of IPL franchises has made the league more interesting. “Ultimately the highest viewership is in India. So, when you engage with the established retired players and they are talking about the league, they are more recognisable faces among the Indian viewers. So it helps to promote,” Sehgal said. “It helps us to promote it easily to the consumer. They start engaging with it. More than 50% of our commentators are from India, who are retired or some may have been associated with the sport. So that helps us explain the league really as what and how the Indian consumer understands,” he added.
Sehgal highlighted the importance of using relatable language and references for Indian audiences. “They talk about stats. They compare these stats with the IPL or any other leagues. So, all that helps us to really bring in the quality, the awareness as well as the relation of a consumer becomes a little closer because as we speak in our entertainment language, that if you speak in their own language, the content resonates better with the consumer,” Sehgal concluded.
