Johnson Charles Rejoins ILT20

Saint Lucia and West Indies opening batsman Johnson Charles will be among almost 20 players from the Caribbean competing in this year’s DP World International T20 (ILT20), the third edition of the six-team franchise competition in the United Arab Emirates. 

The tournament runs from January 11 to February 9. 

Charles, 35, was the top scorer for the Sharjah Warriorz in 2024, and the 10th-leading scorer in the league, with 232 runs from eight innings. He averaged 33.14 at a 136.47 strike rate, hitting two fifties and a 30, adding 22 boundaries and clearing the fences 11 times. The Man From Millet was one of two players to get past 90 in an innings, but he had little help.

The next two top scorers for the Warriorz, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, combined for 299 runs, two 50s, and a combined average of 18.7 at a strike rate of 152. They hit 20 fours and 23 sixes, each registering a duck, as Warriorz ended bottom of the pack. 

England white-ball great Jason Roy has joined the Warriorz after making two appearances for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders last season. The Sharjah outfit have been strengthened further with the inclusion of New Zealand’s Tim Southee, who is set to lead their campaign in his debut season, after retiring from international cricket.

The Warriorz will play in the second game of the first DP World ILT20 Season 3 doubleheader. They face Gulf Giants at Dubai International Stadium, with Barbados’ Dominic Drakes and hard-hitting Guyanese batter Shimron Hetmyer on board. 

Prior to that game, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Gudakesh Motie, Roston Chase, Terrance Hinds, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Jason Holder) will play Desert Vipers (Sherfane Rutherford) at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. 

The league also includes Vincentian pacer Obed McCoy with Dubai Capitals; Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Nicholas Pooran for MI Emirates.