Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: ILT20 Season 5 Squad & Team Overview

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are one of the six franchises competing in DP World ILT20 Season 5, which runs from 22 November to 20 December 2026 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The franchise is owned by Knight Riders Group, the same ownership behind Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, with co ownership from the Mehta Group. This KKR connection gives ADKR direct access to one of the most powerful talent pipelines in franchise cricket worldwide.

Across their first four ILT20 seasons, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have built a reputation as one of the most dangerous attacking squads in the tournament. Their roster philosophy has consistently centred on world class all rounders who can win matches with both bat and ball. Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Liam Livingstone have all featured for ADKR across previous seasons, giving the franchise an unmistakable identity built on explosive power hitting and match winning spin bowling.

ADKR play their home matches at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, which is the slowest and most spin friendly of the three ILT20 venues. The surface rewards disciplined bowling and patient batting, which suits the Knight Riders’ combination of quality spinners and experienced middle order batters. While Dubai and Sharjah produce the highest scoring matches in the tournament, Abu Dhabi regularly delivers the most tactically complex contests, and ADKR have used home conditions effectively across multiple seasons.

Despite finishing in the bottom half of the points table in Season 4, the franchise has never failed to produce match winning individual performances. Jason Holder captained the team in Season 4, bringing international leadership experience to a squad that also included Alishan Sharafu among the UAE domestic contributors. Season 5 squad confirmations are pending, but ADKR enter the new campaign with the same core ownership philosophy: build around proven match winners and give UAE talent meaningful opportunities alongside elite international cricketers.