MI Emirates Team: Squad, Results, Stats & Schedule

MI Emirates represent Abu Dhabi in the International League T20. Indiawin Sports Middle East Limited operates the franchise within Reliance Industries' Mumbai Indians family, while its squad, results and title record remain separate from the other MI teams.

The team reached Qualifier 2 in the inaugural 2023 season, then topped the 2024 league table and beat Dubai Capitals by 45 runs in the final to claim its first ILT20 title. Nicholas Pooran captained that championship side.

MI Emirates finished third in the 2025 league table with five wins and five losses, then exited in the Eliminator. Tom Banton led the side with 493 runs and Fazalhaq Farooqi led the entire tournament with 21 wickets.

Under Season 4 captain Kieron Pollard, MI Emirates finished second in the league at 7-3. They lost Qualifier 1, beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 and finished runners-up to Desert Vipers, closing the full campaign at eight wins and five losses.

ILT20 has confirmed that Season 5 will run from 22 November to 20 December 2026. Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan and Romario Shepherd return, while Sherfane Rutherford joins as a pre-auction signing. The 1 October auction will complete most of the 18-to-23-player squad, so no final roster, fixture list or staff group is claimed yet.

Four players are confirmed before the auction: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan and Romario Shepherd return from Season 4, while Sherfane Rutherford joins MI Emirates. ILT20 published those names on 11 August 2026.

The 25 names in the squad directory describe the completed Season 4 timeline, not the new campaign. Keeping the four-player current core separate prevents old contracts, wildcards and replacements from silently becoming Season 5 selections.

No. Each franchise could make four foreign pre-auction signings, but must build a squad of at least 18 and no more than 23 players through the 1 October 2026 auction. One further wildcard can be added afterward.

The four confirmed names are a foundation, not a full team sheet. Auction registration remains open until 12 September, which is why unannounced local players, overseas additions and staff are left pending.

MI Emirates alternated losses and wins through their first six matches, leaving them 3–3. They then won four league games in a row, including two successful low-score defences and two eight-wicket chases, to finish the table phase at 7–3.

The sequence matters more than the final position alone: the late surge secured two routes to the final. MI Emirates lost Qualifier 1, used the second chance to win Qualifier 2, then lost the title match.

Both records are correct but cover different stages. MI Emirates went 7–3 across the ten-match league phase, then won one and lost two in the playoffs for an 8–5 complete-campaign record.

Calling 8–5 the league record would wrongly fold Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2 and the Final into the table. The page labels league position and overall finish separately so the runners-up route remains clear.

Desert Vipers made 182/4 after reaching 59/2 in the powerplay, while MI Emirates lost three wickets inside their first six overs and were 46/3. The chase slowed to 72/4 after ten overs and ended at 136 in 18.3 overs, a 46-run defeat.

The official scorecard shows both sides of the gap: MI Emirates conceded a 57-run fourth-wicket stand late in the first innings, then lost the early batting platform needed for a chase above nine runs per over. The result was not caused by one isolated dismissal.