ILT20 cricket group transport in Dubai

What is confirmed and what is not

We want to be straight about the dates. ILT20 Season 5 is reported to run from 22 November to 20 December 2026, with the final reported for 20 December at Dubai. The full fixture list had not been confirmed when we wrote this, and some third-party fixture pages are out of date. Venues named for the league are Dubai International Stadium, Sharjah and Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

So this page does not give you match dates. It tells you how to plan a group once you have them from the organiser or ESPNcricinfo. Tickets are sold by the organiser, not by us. Once you know the match and the stadium, tell us and we plan the vehicle, the pickup and the return.

Three stadiums, three kinds of trip

The Abu Dhabi option is the biggest decision. A night match there, plus the return, can take a group home after midnight. If you need it, read our Dubai to Abu Dhabi group trip page and ask for the return to be on the quote with waiting hours. For Sharjah, the Dubai to Sharjah page covers the route and the border-area traffic.

Why the return is the hard part

At the end of a T20 night, a very large crowd may leave at once. Roads fill, ride-hailing prices move and taxi queues grow. A group with a coach at an agreed point leaves when it is ready. A group with no plan stands in a queue.

Pick a pickup point away from the main exit if the stadium allows it, and make it a landmark everyone knows, such as a numbered gate or a car park zone. Drop a pin in the group chat. Agree the point with the driver before the match, not during it. The stadium sets where coaches may stand, so ask the organiser or the venue, and send us what you learn.

Supporter groups: how they usually travel

Cricket in the UAE draws large South Asian communities, and many groups come from work, from a club or from a friends and family list. Some arrive in one big party and some in waves. Waves are harder: a vehicle that waits for the last person leaves an hour late.

Set one meeting time, tell the group the vehicle will leave on it, and keep a list. A leader with a headcount and the driver’s number can handle 40 people on one vehicle. For smaller parties, the 13-seater van and the Mercedes Sprinter are popular. For 17 to 30 fans, the 30-seater mini coach is the usual choice, and the 50-seater coach for the larger parties.

Staff and employer groups

Some employers take a work group to a night match as a reward. If you do this, the safe rule is simple: no one drives home after the match, and the company arranges the transport. A booked coach does that job and keeps the group together.

Our staff transport page and the staff bus rules guide describe the rules around work groups. For a group that includes labour accommodation or camp residents, tell us the pickup points. We plan the loop and the headcount per vehicle.

An example: a 35-seat supporter group

A cricket club from the north of England, in Dubai for a week

This is an example to show the shape of a booking, not a quote. The club of 32 attends one night match. A 50-seater coach takes everyone, with space for flags and bags, from the hotel to the stadium for an evening start, then waits and takes them back. The day rate for the 50-seater coach starts from AED 1,450 for a full day of up to 10 hours with driver and fuel, per our price page. A match night is shorter, so ask for an evening basis on the quote.

The written quote confirms the exact price for your date, route and hours, and lists the waiting time after the match.

Timing and buffers on a match night

A night match starts in the evening, and the afternoon and evening traffic builds before it. We suggest the group leaves the hotel with a long margin before the first ball, since entry queues and security checks take time. We do not state gate times or entry rules, as the organiser and the venue set them.

Allow for the match to run long. T20 matches usually end in a few hours, but a delay, a long innings break or a super over adds time. Agree a return that gives room, and tell the driver in advance if the match is a knock-out and may be longer.

Touring teams and cricket academies

Teams visiting the UAE in the same weeks may attend matches as spectators. Academy groups and school teams have a different issue: supervision. The vehicle and driver come from us, and the responsible adults come from your side. See the sports team transport guide for how we plan a full tour with practice sessions and airport legs.

Booking when fixtures are unconfirmed

If you want to hold a vehicle before fixtures are out, tell us the weeks you may travel and the group size. We note it on a draft quote and update it when the match is known. A change of date then costs you nothing but a message.

Send details through the booking page, and see the price page for starting rates. For the wider peak-season picture, read the peak season guide.

Related: Sports team and tournament transport · Abu Dhabi day trip · Sharjah day trip · Staff transport Dubai · Rugby Sevens transport · Get a quote

Keep reading

• Transport for Indian groups: Coaches and vans for tour groups flying in from India: arrival timing, vegetarian meal stops, family-size parties and a 13 to 50 seat choice.
• Faith group transport: Coaches and vans for church, temple and community groups visiting Dubai, planned around service times, prayer stops and large family parties.
• Transport for UK groups: Coaches and vans for UK social clubs, companies and school groups: evening flights, the time difference, coach comfort and luggage.
• Student tour transport: Coaches with seat belts and a professional driver for study tours, campus visits and school trips from abroad, on a fixed written quote.
• Rugby Sevens transport: Coaches and minibuses for rugby clubs, supporter groups and travelling teams going to the Dubai Sevens weekend.
• German groups: Coaches and minibuses for German-speaking tour groups: a written day plan, clear pick-up times, planned rest stops and a fixed quote in AED.