MI Emirates name T. Dilip, Colin Ingram as fielding, assistant coaches for ILT20

New Delhi: MI Emirates have announced T. Dilip as fielding coach and Colin Ingram as assistant coach for the upcoming ILT20 season, completing the franchise's coaching group ahead of Season 5, starting from November 21 in Dubai.

The two appointments join a setup led by Mark Boucher as Head Coach, with Paras Mhambrey continuing as bowling coach.

Dilip brings over 2 decades of extensive coaching experience, having previously served as the fielding coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

Ingram, meanwhile, brings experience across international and franchise cricket, having enjoyed a successful playing career across multiple T20 leagues, including a player role in MI Cape Town’s title-winning run in 2025.

Together, the coaching group will oversee MI Emirates' preparations as the franchise looks ahead to another ILT20 campaign.

DP World ILT20 Season 5 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), Faf du Plessis, Marcus Stoinis and Mustafizur Rahman (Dubai Capitals), 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).

One of cricket's most respected match officials, Australia’s Simon Taufel, will return to lead the match officials’ panel at the DP World ILT20 for a fifth consecutive season.

The five-time ICC Umpire of the Year (2004–2008) will be the match referee for the season opener on 21 November at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where defending champions Desert Vipers take on MI Emirates in a rematch of last season’s final. Taufel will share match referee duties through the season with Roshan Mahanama (52 Tests and 213 ODIs for Sri Lanka).

New Zealand’s Chris Brown, and Martin Saggers (three Tests for England) will be the on-field umpires for the opener. Australia’s Paul Wilson will be the third umpire and New Zealand’s Wayne Knights the fourth umpire.

Wilson will alternate as third umpire (TV umpire) with West Indies’ Leslie Reifer for the competition. Both have been appointed as specialist TV umpires, with the ILT20 leveraging the HE Smart Replay system to enhance the accuracy and time efficiency of third-umpire decision-making.

The panel also includes ICC Elite Panel umpires Richard Illingworth (nine Tests and 25 ODIs for England) and South Africa’s Adrian Holdstock, along with Afghanistan’s Ahmad Pakteen. Aasif Iqbal, Akbar Ali Khan and Shiju Mannil represent the UAE.

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