The organisers of the International League T20 have mandated that each franchise must have at least four Afghanistan players and one Irish player in their squads. These five players will have to be accommodated within the quota of 11 overseas players permitted in the overall size of the squad which can be between 21 and 23 players.
The directive comes ahead of the Season 5 of the six-team competition, scheduled to be held from November 22 to December 20. According to rules shared with the franchises recently, the ILT20 said, "Of the 11 minimum Full Member players, at least 4 must be from Afghanistan and at least 1 must be from Irel and."
As per the new regulations, the squads will comprise the following minimum representations:
The ILT20 organisers went on to add, "4 Afghanistan players, 1 Ireland player, 4 UAE players and 2 GCC players (one from Saudi Arabia, one from Kuwait) required in each squad shall be referred to as 'Mandatory Players."
According to an ILT20 note, accessed by Cricbuzz, the maximum salary cap for a franchise is USD 2 million, with each team mandatorily required to a minimum of USD 1.5 million on player salaries picked through retentions, direct signings and the auction. The minimum individual salary level for all players will be USD 10,000. There is no maximum individual player salary.
There is also provision for a Wildcard Player, whose salary will be over and above the stipulated player purse. The relevant part of the note says, "In addition to the above squad composition, 1 additional Wildcard Player may be added to the squad, beyond the original squad of 21-23 players."
The immediate reason behind the mandate requiring a minimum number of Afghan and Irish players is not known. However, it is understood that the move may be linked to an arrangement involving the Emirates Cricket Board, the Afghanistan Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland.
The six franchises in the ILT20 are MI Emirates, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriorz and Gulf Giants. Desert Vipers are the defending champions, having won the most recent edition of the tournament.
