DUBAI: The Desert Vipers will begin the defense of their title against last year’s finalists and season two champions the MI Emirates in the opening match of the DP World International League T20 season five at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 21. The first ball will be delivered at 6:30 p.m. local time. All the tournament’s evening matches will start at the same time. The season’s second fixture will be a clash between the Sharjah Warriorz and season one champions, the Gulf Giants. The fixture will be the season’s first match at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium and will be played from 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22. Season-three champions the Dubai Capitals will launch their title hunt against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at their home venue, the Dubai International Stadium, in the second match of the Super Sunday doubleheader. Abu Dhabi will host its first match on Thursday, Nov. 26, when the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders take on the MI Emirates at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. The DP World ILT20 will celebrate the UAE National Day (Eid Al-Etihad) on Dec. 2 with traditional festivities and a cricket doubleheader. The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will host the Desert Vipers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in the afternoon, while the Dubai Capitals play the MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium in the evening. Each team will play 10 matches in the double round-robin 34-match tournament. At the end of the 30-match group stage, the top four teams will progress to the playoffs which will culminate with the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026. The 30-day competition will feature six days of doubleheader action. A total of 15 tournament matches will be played at the Dubai International Stadium. Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Cricket Stadium will host 11 matches and Sharjah Cricket Stadium eight fixtures. The DP World ILT20 season five contests will feature some of the game’s biggest stars including Moeen Ali, Usman Tariq and Finn Allen (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Babar Azam, Shimron Hetmyer and Naseem Shah (Desert Vipers), and Faf du Plessis, Marcus Stoinis and Mustafizur Rahman (Dubai Capitals). Other stars playing are Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and David Miller (Gulf Giants), Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Fazalhaq Farooqi (MI Emirates), and Mohammad Nabi, Sikandar Raza and Adil Rashid (Sharjah Warriorz).