ILT20’s new rule mandating Afghanistan, Ireland player inclusion sparks franchise backlash

The International League T20 (ILT20) has introduced a major change to its squad composition regulations ahead of the 2026 season, making it mandatory for all six franchises to include at least four Afghanistan players and one Ireland player in their squads. However, the decision has reportedly not gone down well with team owners, who have raised concerns over the new requirements.

The league has informed franchises that the rule will be compulsory from the upcoming season, despite strong objections from all six teams, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. The fifth edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held from November 22 to December 20.

As part of the revised player contracting model circulated to franchises in May, each squad must consist of a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 23 players. Along with the mandatory inclusion of four Afghanistan players and one Ireland player, teams will also need to satisfy several other roster requirements.

The regulations state that every squad must feature 11 players from Full Member nations, four UAE players, including at least one capped player and one Under-23 cricketer, two players from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and one player from an Associate nation other than the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait.

In addition to squad requirements, playing XIs will also have to comply with new eligibility rules. Teams must field at least two UAE players, two Afghanistan players, and one player from an Associate nation in every match.

The new guidelines have reportedly been met with significant resistance from franchises, who questioned the necessity of imposing such strict player quotas. Reports suggest that all six teams formally communicated their concerns to the league management after receiving the updated regulations. Despite the pushback, ILT20 officials are understood to have informed franchises that the changes will remain in place for the upcoming season.

The league’s decision is believed to be driven largely by concerns over player availability. During its first four seasons, ILT20 often faced challenges in attracting top overseas talent due to scheduling clashes with other franchise tournaments, particularly South Africa’s SA20 and Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).

Although the 2026 edition will not overlap with SA20, there will still be a brief clash with the BBL. League officials are also reportedly wary of national cricket boards tightening restrictions on players’ participation in overseas T20 competitions.

To safeguard itself against potential future restrictions from Full Member boards, ILT20 is understood to have reached agreements with both the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland. These arrangements are expected to ensure a steady pool of players from the two nations remains available for the UAE-based competition.

The league reportedly views these partnerships as a way to maintain the quality of overseas talent in the tournament, which is crucial for its commercial appeal and global profile. Notably, the mandatory Afghanistan and Ireland recruits can be either capped internationals or uncapped players.