"Will Add More Value To Viewership": With Inclusion Of Indian Players, ILT20 Season 4 Eyes More Attention

The fourth edition of the DP World ILT20 will kick-start from Tuesday, December 2, where the defending champions Dubai Capitals will be squaring off against Desert Vipers. This is going to be a special season as it includes three established Indian players in their roster. The likes of Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla and Unmukt Chand are all set to make ILT20 debut this year. Karthik will be playing from Sharjah Warriorz while Unmukt and Chawla have been bought by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

Speaking on the inclusion of the Indian players, Laxmi Shetty, Head – Advertisement Revenue, Broadcast and Digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said that it will help in creasing the league's fanbase. 

"Somewhere down the line, India makes a big difference in cricket. Bringing these players on board was not difficult but the franchises must have decided who they want to add to their respective rosters. But I think this is just the start. Giong forward, you are going to see many more Indians playing in the ILT20," Laxmi Shetty told NDTV. 

"From an India point of view, with three Indian players coming in, it would only add more to the viewership. The season has actually grown year on year. It's the second most viewed league, I would say, globally,"

ILT20 CEO and former New Zealand cricketer David White said the Indians' presence will deepen fan engagement, especially with the large Indian diaspora in the UAE.

"Three Indian players will be great. Of course, we know Indian fans love Indian players. So we're really, really looking forward to that," White said.

"The quality of cricket is going to be really high with nine overseas players per team. Now we've also introduced some Kuwait players and Saudi players as well. And we see the future of this league being very much a Gulf region, not just the UAE." White added that the ILT20 remains a global melting pot.

"We have got great players from England, New Zealand, West Indies. So we would like to think that we are a competition for all countries. Like our logo says, where the world plays... It is such a fantastic melting pot, this country, and we would like to think we are representative of that." With thousands of overseas visitors already in the UAE for the long weekend, White expects "big crowds", as the season opens with a glittering ceremony headlined by Ali Zafar.

The tournament will be broadcast on &Pictures SD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Action, Zee Thirai SD, Zee Cinemalu, and the OTT platform Zee5.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Dinesh Karthik Piyush Chawla Unmukt Chand Cricket