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ILT20 League 2025-26: Full List Players Retained and New Signings Including KKR and RCB Stars

Chandra Moulee Das

Last updated: July 7, 2025

2 min read

The upcoming edition of the International League (ILT20 2025-26) is set witness a player auction for the first time. Ahead of that, all the six teams announced their list of retained players and new signings earlier today (July 7). The auction is slated to be held in September, while the season has been brought forward to a December-January window to avoid a cluttered January-February timeline. The season 4 will now start on December 2 with the final being played on January 6.

Under the new auction model, the IILT20 has reduced its team salary cap by 20% for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Each franchise will now have a maximum budget of $2 million for player salaries, a decrease from the $2.5 million limit set during the league’s first three seasons.

ILT20 2025-26 Retained Players

Top Indian Premier League (IPL) stars like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been retained by the Abu Dhabi (ADKR) outfit while defending champions Dubai Capitals (DC) have opted to keep the Sri Lankan duo of Dasun Shanaka and Dushmantha Chameera.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Alishan Sharafu
Andre Russell
Charith Asalanka
Phil Salt
Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers

Dan Lawrence
David Payne
Khuzaima Bin Tanveer
Lockie Ferguson
Max Holden
Sam Curran
Wanindu Hasaranga.

Dubai Capitals

Dasun Shanaka
Dushmantha Chameera
Gulbadin Naib
Rovmann Powell
Shai Hope.

Gulf Giants

Aayan Afzal Khan
Blessing Muzarabani
Gerhard Erasmus
James Vince
Mark Adair.

MI Emirates

AM Ghazanfar
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Kusal Perera
Romario Shepherd
Tom Banton
Muhammad Waseem.

Sharjah Warriorz

Johnson Charles
Kusal Mendis
Tim Southee
Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

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ILT20 2025-26 New Signings

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) big-hitter Tim David found a new home in Sharjah Warriors while ADKR, who finished last in the six-team league last season, have added more power to their side by pre-signing Gujarat Titans (GT) star Sherfane Rutherford and RCB’s Liam Livingstone. Check below for the team-wise list of new signings.