Dubai
Bollywood megastars Shahid Kapoor, Pooja Hegde and Sonam Bajwa will grace the opening ceremony of DP World ILT20 Season 3 today. The third season of DP World ILT20 will run from 11 January to 9 February 2025. Shahid, Pooja and Sonam will kick off the celebrations with spectacular performances on their blockbuster songs. To make the occasion even more spectacular, renowned Bollywood producers and actors Jackky Bhagnani and Ridhima Pathak will host the inaugural ceremony.
Regarding the inauguration ceremony, Shahid Kapoor said in an official statement issued by the organizers, If you know me, you would know how much I love cricket and dancing. And when these two things come together, you can expect to experience the best of both worlds, which is why I am looking forward to being a part of the opening ceremony of the DP World International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium on 11th January 2025. Really looking forward to. Buy your tickets now for a celebration of Bollywood and cricket in the spirit of true cricket-tainment.
The inaugural evening will present a unique confluence of the best of Bollywood and the pinnacle of T20 cricket, set against the spectacular backdrop of DIS, popularly known as the Ring of Fire. Ticket sales for the season opener have been spectacular, with the stadium packed in style on a Saturday evening at DIS. The first ball of the season will be bowled at 7:15 pm local time when defending champions MI Emirates face Dubai Capitals in a thrilling rematch of last year’s grand finale.
The six DP World ILT20 franchises have signed Andre Russell (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Sunil Narine (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Alex Hales (Desert Vipers), Sherfane Rutherford (Desert Vipers), David Warner (Dubai Capitals), Rovman Powell (Dubai Capitals). ), Chris Jordan (Gulf Giants), Shimron Hetmyer (Gulf Giants), T20 superstars like Akeal Hossain (MI Emirates), Nicholas Pooran (MI Emirates), Adil Rashid (Sharjah Warriors wildcard pick in Season 2) and Johnson Charles (Sharjah Warriors) have been retained. England white-ball great Jason Roy (Sharjah Warriors) is back in the league after playing twice for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders last season.
Former West Indies captain Jason Holder will play for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, the all-rounder played for Dubai Capitals last season. England’s explosive opening batsman Phil Salt and Pakistan’s left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem have also joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Apart from this, Tim Southee (Sharjah Warriors), Fakhar Zaman (Desert Vipers), Shai Hope (Dubai Capitals), Lockie Ferguson (Desert Vipers), Roston Chase (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Matthew Wade (Sharjah Warriors), Ibrahim Zadran ( Gulf Giants) and Romario Shepherd (MI Emirates) to make their DP World debut in Season 3 All set to make ILT20 debut.
