ZEE Entertainment’s 10 TV channels, OTT platform ZEE5 to live broadcast DP World ILT20 Season 2

A second season of DP World International League T20 (ILT20), the second most-watched T20 cricket league globally, is set to begin on January 19, 2024. Cricket fans and sports enthusiasts in India and around the world can exclusively catch all the action live on ZEE’s 10 linear TV channels, its OTT platform ZEE5, and its syndicate partners’ TV and digital networks across the world.

The 34-match event will be played at the three iconic UAE venues Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, starting from January 19, 2024 to February 17, 2024. 

Cricket fans can watch this action-packed event on Zee’s most widely distributed and viewed 10 linear TV channels: &Pictures, &Pictures HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Zest, Zee Ganga, Zee Cinemalu HD, &Flix, &Flix HD and Zee Zest HD, and on one of India’s leading OTT platforms, ZEE5.

The franchise-style tournament with six teams and 34 matches is played across the UAE. 

These are the league’s six franchise teams:

• Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 
• Desert Vipers 
• Dubai Capitals 
• Gulf Giants 
• MI Emirates 
• Sharjah Warriors 

Some of the world’s most prominent cricket stars are slated to play in the Season 2, including David Warner, Dasun Shanaka, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sam Billings, David Willey, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Alex Hales, Tom Curran, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, James Vince, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Martin Guptill.

The deep distribution and disruptive marketing strategy for the second season aims to further enhance the league's reach and ensure widespread viewership, emphasising ILT20’s appeal to a broad and diverse audience. 

In the previous season, the league achieved a remarkable reach of over 250 million across India. The event will be broadcast in Hindi and English commentaries. 

ZEE5 will offer live free-to-view streaming of the 34 cricket matches, aimed at bolstering cricket viewership in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. This move represents a commitment to making cricket more accessible to a wider audience, thereby democratizing the experience of sports viewing in the region.

“Zee is delighted to present DP World ILT20 Season 2 and promises an electrifying experience to cricket fans in India and around the world. With the world's finest players, iconic stadiums and infrastructure and six leading sporting franchises, our goal is to build upon the previous year's success, further solidifying the league's stature as one of the most-widely followed cricket events in the world,” said Rahul Johri, President-Business, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL). 

“We are excited to announce the DP World ILT20 Season 2 schedule. Just like the opening season, we are set to deliver 34 action-packed matches at three fantastic cricket venues. The event begins on 19 January and will finish with the final in Dubai on 17 February. Season 2 will be launched with riveting on-field action and entertainment for the entire family on the opening weekend in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” said David White, CEO, DP World ILT20. 

“This year, we have attracted some of the biggest cricket stars from around the world to the DP World ILT20 Season 2. We have three world-class stadiums that have a rich history of hosting some of the biggest cricket events including the T20 World Cup. The weather in UAE is absolutely ideal for cricket in the months of January and February. There is as always, a huge appetite and interest in the game here and we welcome local fans as well as international travellers as they have the greatest cricketing spectacle to enjoy with a number of entertainment opportunities on offer besides the action on the field.”  

Following the opener in Sharjah between Sharjah Warriors and Gulf Giants on Friday, January 19, Dubai Capitals will play MI Emirates at the DIS on Saturday 20 January. Last year’s runner-up Desert Vipers will open their campaign against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Saturday at the Dubai International Stadium. 

All single header matches will be broadcast Live at 8 PM India prime time, starting with the pre-match presentation at 7:30 PM. The afternoon match onthe double-header’s day will start at 4:00 pm.

A total of 15 matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi will host 11 and Sharjah will stage eight fixtures. Each team will have five home and five away fixtures. The match tickets will be soon launched, the details will be shared in the next few days. 

Here is the full schedule of the second season of the DP World ILT20: 

• Match 1: Friday, January 19: Sharjah Warriors vs Gulf Giants – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 2: Saturday, January 20: Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 3: Sunday, January 21: Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 4: Sunday, January 21: MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 
• Match 5: Monday, January 22: Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriors – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 6: Tuesday, January 23: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 
• Match 7: Wednesday, January 24: Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers – Dubai International Stadium 
• Match 8: Thursday, January 25: Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 9: Friday, January 26: Sharjah Warriors vs MI Emirates – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 10: Saturday, January 27: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 11: Saturday, January 27: Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 12: Sunday, January 28: MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 13: Sunday, January 28: Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriors – Sharjah Cricket Stadium 
• Match 14: Monday, January 29: Sharjah Warriors vs Dubai Capitals – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 15: Tuesday, January 30: Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 16: Wednesday, January 31: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 17: Thursday, February 1: Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 18: Friday, February 2: MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriors – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 19: Saturday, February 3: Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 20: Saturday, February 3: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 21: Sunday, February 4: MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 22: Sunday, February 4: Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriors – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 23: Monday, February 5: Sharjah Warriors vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 24: Tuesday, February 6: Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 25: Wednesday, February 7: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriors – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 
• Match 26: Thursday, February 8: Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 27: Friday, February 9: Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals – Dubai International Stadium 
• Match 28: Saturday, February 10: Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 29: Saturday, February 10: MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
• Match 30:Sunday, February 11: Sharjah Warriors vs Desert Vipers – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 31: Tuesday, February 13: Qualifier 1 – Dubai International Stadium
• Match 32: Wednesday, February 14: Eliminator – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 
• Match 33: Thursday, February 15: Qualifier 2 – Sharjah Cricket Stadium
• Match 34: Saturday, February 17: Final – Dubai International Stadium 

*All single-headers (night matches) begin at 8:00 pm India time/6:30 pm UAE time
*Afternoon match on double-headers day begins at 4:00 pm India time/2:30 pm UAE time