ILT20 Season 4 Fixture List 2026-27 UAE — Decoded

International League T20 Season 4 runs January 6, 2027 to February 7, 2027 in the UAE. The big news for Season 4 — a new sixth franchise (Ras Al Khaimah Knights) joins the league, raising the team count from five to six. The broadcast deal with JioHotstar is renewed. Here is the ILT20 Season 4 fixture decode.

Tournament window

January 6 to February 7, 2027 — five weeks. The Final is February 7 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 34 league matches with the doubleheader format weekend.

The six franchises

Dubai Capitals (Reliance-owned, defending champions), Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Knight Riders Group, KKR ownership), MI Emirates (Mumbai Indians ownership), Gulf Giants (Adani-owned), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Ras Al Khaimah Knights (new — Royal RAK ownership). The expansion to six franchises adds 6 league matches.

New Ras Al Khaimah Knights

The sixth franchise based at the newly opened Ras Al Khaimah International Cricket Stadium. Owned by Royal RAK Group. Captain — David Wiese (allrounder). Key signings — Faf du Plessis (returning), Sherfane Rutherford, Shadab Khan, Anrich Nortje, Pat Cummins (rumour).

Venues

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi (Sheikh Zayed), Ras Al Khaimah (new). Four main venues with the Dubai and Sharjah hosting the most matches. The Final is at Dubai.

Marquee signings — Season 4

Pat Cummins (Ras Al Khaimah Knights — pending IPL release decision), Andre Russell (Abu Dhabi KKR), Sunil Narine (Abu Dhabi KKR), Quinton de Kock (Desert Vipers), David Warner (Dubai Capitals), Heinrich Klaasen (MI Emirates), Tim David (MI Emirates), Wanindu Hasaranga (Gulf Giants).

Broadcast deal

JioHotstar holds the Indian rights — three years renewed at $50M. Z Five for Pakistan. Sky Sports for UK. Fox Cricket for Australia. The Final on February 7 is in the prime-time slot for India (5:30 PM IST). Free streaming on the ILT20 app for UAE viewers.

Format and playoff structure

Six teams. League stage of 30 matches (each team plays 10). Top four advance to the playoffs. Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, Final. The classic IPL playoff format. The Final is February 7 at Dubai.

T20 WC 2027 build-up overlap

ILT20 Season 4 ends February 7. The T20 WC 2027 starts February 25. Eighteen days between. Senior internationals who play ILT20 will get the rest window. Watch the form curves of Klaasen, Hasaranga and Cummins for their WC selection cases.

PSL clash and player release

PSL 2027 runs January-February overlap. Pakistani players choose PSL. Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Rizwan, Naseem Shah all opt for PSL. This means ILT20 misses the marquee Pakistani names. The associate Pakistani players (Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan) get ILT20 contracts.

What to watch next: ILT20 Season 4 opening match January 6 and the new Ras Al Khaimah Knights debut.

Related coverage

• the 2026-27 international calendar
• WTC Final cycle
• Sa20 Season 5 Fixture List
• The Hundred 2026 Fixture List