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From the Caribbean, to England, to Afghanistan, to planting the cricketing flag in Italy, MI Emirates’ new signings are all set to add a variety of flavours to our squad. As we gear up to defend our crown, it’s time to meet the latest additions to our squad. Let’s welcome them into the Blue and Gold with all the song and dance. Habibi, welcome to Abu Dhabi..&nbsp;<ol><li>Romario Shepherd (West Indies): A big-hitting all-rounder, proven customer in franchise cricket, and an experienced member of our #OneFamily</li><li>Fareed Ahmad (Afghanistan): The wily old seamer with a bunch of variations coming back to conditions he’s played a lot of cricket in</li><li>Tom Banton (England): Long levers, long sixes, and a destructive young batter&nbsp;</li><li>Thomas Draca (Italy): An upcoming quick, out there to put Italy right on the cricketing map, coming off an impressive T20 season in Canada &nbsp;</li><li>Ben Charlesworth (England): A batting prodigy coming up the ranks in English cricket&nbsp;</li></ol>&nbsp;They will be joining our retained players from the 2024 season – Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Jordan Thompson, Kusal Perera, Rohit Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nosthush Kenjige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Waqar Salamkheil. The third season of the ILT20 is all set to begin on January 11, 2025, and the desert is all set to turn into a carnival!&nbsp;

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Meet MI Emirates’ five new signings for ILT20 2025

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We have news. With the six month countdown to the third season of the ILT20 having begun, aka the six month countdown to MI Emirates defending their crown, it’s time for the retention-release news.&nbsp;Fourteen of our players from the Champions squad of 2024 have been retained ahead of the next season. Nicholas Pooran, the star and leader on and off the field, along with the Blue and Gold legend in Kieron Pollard will continue leading us to bigger glories in 2025. BJ Bravo, with his wily deliveries, Akeal Hosein, with his super-accurate new ball stuff, and Andre Fletcher, with his destructive starts, will ensure the Caribbean flavor in the MI Emirates camp stays intact.&nbsp;As per the league rules, franchises had the option of retaining a maximum of two UAE players. There was no limit on the overseas retentions. Our hugely impressive local core of Muhammad Waseem and Muhammad Rohid, the young find of the previous ILT20 season, are all set to take their game up a notch further. There will be a Player Acquisition Window to sign new players. &nbsp;Full list of Retained Players:<ol><li>Kieron Pollard</li><li>Dwayne Bravo</li><li>Nicholas Pooran</li><li>Andre Fletcher&nbsp;</li><li>Jordan Thompson</li><li>Akeal Hosein</li><li>Kusal Perera</li><li>Viyaskanth Vijayakanth</li><li>Waqar Salamkheil</li><li>Nosthush Kenjige</li><li>Fazalhaq Farooqi</li><li>Muhammad Waseem</li><li>Muhammad Rohid</li><li>Daniel Mousley</li></ol>This also is an opportunity for us to thank the rest of the winning cast of 2024, who have been released for the next season. This includes the players who came in as replacements for during the season, and made sure the winning momentum never stopped. We wish them well for the future.&nbsp;Full list of Released Players:<ol><li>Ambati Rayudu</li><li>Asif Khan</li><li>Corey Anderson</li><li>Bhanuka Rajapaksa</li><li>Christopher Benjamin</li><li>McKenny Clarke</li><li>Monank Patel</li><li>Odean Smith</li><li>Trent Boult</li><li>Reece Topley</li><li>Tim David&nbsp;</li><li>Will Smeed</li><li>Zahoor Khan</li></ol>The third season of the ILT20 is all set to begin on 11 January, 2025, with the final set to be played on 9 February, 2025. Let's bring the cup back home, shall we?

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BREAKING: Pollard, Pooran, Bravo headline 14-player retained list for ILT20 2025

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It’s the perfect way to get into 2025, with some cricket, and the opportunity for us to defend our crown! The third season is here, and it’s time to start the party in the desert again, the one that ended in season 2 with the MI Emirates lifting the title in front of a packed house at the Dubai International Stadium.&nbsp;The 34-game extravaganza across the three grounds in the United Arab Emirates, will begin on Saturday, January 11, 2025, and will run on for nearly a month, with the final set to be played on Sunday, February 9, 2025.&nbsp;“We are delighted to confirm the window for DP World International League T20 Season 3. The window has been finalised after discussions with our stakeholders. We have begun our preparations for Season 3 with an aim of making the league even bigger and better,” said David White, CEO of DP World ILT20.&nbsp;“Season 2 was a massive success in terms of all relevant metrics’ and helped further strengthen the league’s reputation, making it one of the most sought after T20 leagues for players, fans and broadcasters from around the world. Having considered all aspects, the January-February window for Season 3 has turned out to be the most suitable,” he added.&nbsp;“The DP World ILT20 is also proving to be a successful platform for the development of the UAE players as seen in their recent outstanding performance in the ACC Premier Cup in Oman which helped them qualify for the prestigious Asia Cup (2025, T20 format) for the first time in eight years. Most of the players who excelled in Oman had gained invaluable experience and exposure in Season 2. &nbsp;“The cricket fans in the UAE and those who travel to our wonderful destinations Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah from across the globe will have a lot to look forward to in Season 3. We have a series of exciting announcements lined-up as our six world-class franchises and their coaching staff put their heads together for retention of players while eyeing new local and international talent for Season 3 signings.”&nbsp;So mark your dates, and see you in the stadium, as MI Emirates go all out to make it two in a row!&nbsp;

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ILT20 SEASON 3 IS HERE! Mark the dates - 11 Jan 2025 to 9 Feb 2025

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It’s a beast of a trophy. And it’s ours. We aren’t done gushing over Nicholas Pooran. Here he is, at the post-match press conference, walking in with his toddler daughter, and answering a whole range of questions. In this last one month, he’s given us memories to last us a lifetime. Excerpts..First thoughts on winning the championshipThe guys have been brilliant. This journey started last year for us when we lost in the eliminator. We got some different personnel, but the core stuck through. You see (Muhammad) Waseem or (Mohammad) Rohid or Waqar (Salamkheil) taking that opportunity and becoming match-winners. From day one, the objective was to win.&nbsp;On playing a captain’s inningsIt’s always important being the captain. Regardless of if I am the captain or not, I see myself as a leader and want to lead from the front. But in a tournament like this, everyone has to step up.&nbsp;To whom would he dedicate this winJust to the MI franchise. They are the most successful cricket franchise. This is their tenth win. Regardless of whether they have a strong team or not, their target is to win. This win is dedicated to them. They are very passionate. Really happy we could be the ones winning it for them.&nbsp;On the six dropped catchesThat was just one of our strategies to win (laughs). But I don’t want to comment too much on it. Maybe we could have won the game by a bigger margin. But at the end of the day, we got home.&nbsp;Thoughts on stepping up on the big nightFor me, it is all about stepping up. I believe if you want something in life, you have to go get it. Yes, finals is pressure, MI is a big franchise. I have lost a lot of games in my career so far and have learnt a lot. I could convert 20s into 30s, 30s into match-winning innings. Especially being not out as well in some innings. It is a big box for me to tick. Happy that all the all the hard work I have put in over the years is showing rewards, especially winning titles because that is big for me.&nbsp;On losing the toss and having to bat firstWe always wanted to bat today and I said it at the toss. Actions speak louder than words. It is exactly how we wanted to play the game.&nbsp;On Muhammad Waseem’s stellar formI expect franchises to take notice. Yes, he is a UAE player but he is very good. He is very aggressive, he has a lot to offer. He is young. I expect him to continue to perform and improve.&nbsp;Whether nervousness crept inChasing 208 was always going to be difficult, and thankfully we have a lot of senior players in the team. Even when Sam Billings was batting superbly, Bravo came up and said, ‘let’s make him hit over mid-off. Hopefully he can chip it’. Really nice to see it come off. You can’t buy experience. These guys have been in that situation. Even for myself, I have been captain for West Indies. I have had bad days and have made bad decisions. At this point, I have learnt a lot. It has helped me make better cricketing decisions. When you have really good quality players, you cannot ask for anything else. Akeal was bowling 2-3 overs in the powerplay for 10 runs. My job was easy.&nbsp;Summing up the ILT20 tournamentWe really wanted this win, and we got it. From the management to the physios, coaches, everyone, owner, director, works hard. The tournament is challenging. We played a game in Dubai, drive down and play a game in Abu Dhabi the next day.&nbsp;On being a part of the MI #OneFamilyI have said it before, I am a son of the T20 format and franchise cricket. The Mumbai franchise are one of the best in the world. That level of professionalism here is a good opportunity for every young player to interact with the legends as well. I had this opportunity when I was 20 years old in the IPL to come to Mumbai Indians and I got the opportunity to interact with Mahela Jayawardene, Sachin Tendulkar. Really happy to be involved and winning is just the icing on the cake.&nbsp;On the backing of the senior playersThe support was really important. Getting all the senior players to buy in and trust me 100%. Lucky to have them as teammates. We are building a relationship where most of the times I make a decision and they try and execute that plan 100%. As a young captain, support is really key. Boult, Bravo giving me that respect helped me a lot.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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“This one is for the MI Family. They are the best in the world”: Nicholas Pooran

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Christopher Benjamin, Wicket-Keeper Batter from England will join MI Emirates for ILT20 Season 2. He was part of the MI Cape Town squad this season.He will be the stand-in keeper for the team, until Nicholas Pooran is back from national duty.He might be in the early stages of his career, but Christopher has left everyone impressed with his shot-making. Kevin Pietersen was one of them, left awestruck when he reverse-scooped a delivery into the stands. Johannesburg-born, England-bred, he now has a full contract with Warwickshire as well. We cannot wait to see him tonk a few into the stands here!&nbsp;

MI Emirates announce signing of Christopher Benjamin

By MI Emirates Media

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