The Inaugural edition of the International League T20, known as ILT20 will be played in UAE starting from 13th January 2022. In the first match, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will lock horns with Dubai Capitals.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have named Sunil Narine as their captain for the initial season of ILT20. Sunil is a vastly experienced T20 cricketer and quite high in demand in different leagues across the world. Narine has 474 T20 wickets to his name and he also has scored 3000+ runs with the bat, which makes him a very useful all-rounder.
Narine has been an integral part of the Knight Riders franchise. He represents Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL.
Interestingly, Narine’s countryman, Kieron Pollard was seen as the captain of Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL 2022. Since Pollard is also a part of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, it was expected that Pollard might be seen leading the side, but the management chose Sunil Narine.
With the experience of playing across the globe in almost every T20 league, Narine indeed possesses the experience to be a good leader. However, Narine has no prior captaincy experience at all. He has never led a side in the IPL, CPL or PSL.
This move can work well for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or it can backfire as well. Narine’s recent performances include his 11 wickets in 10 games of the CPL 2022. He also scored 111 runs in the event at a strike rate of 120.
In the other announced captains of ILT20, Colin Munro will be seen leading the Desert Vipers.
