UAE men's head coach Lalchand Rajput hails DP World ILT20's pace-first approach with Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee as ambassadors | Exclusive

The DP World ILT20 has roped in Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee as brand ambassadors for its fifth season. Lee and Akhtar were among the most feared fast bowlers of their era, tormenting batters every time they charged in from the top of their run-up.

In an age where fast bowling is arguably not at the level it once was, appointing two legendary speedsters as ambassadors of a league in a format largely dominated by batters may appear unconventional. However, incumbent UAE men's head coach Lalchand Rajput believes it is a positive move, one that could inspire the next generation of pacers to bend their backs more and look to dominate batters when the DP World ILT20 2026 gets underway on November 21.

"I think it’s a good concept to be very honest," Rajput said on the appointment of Lee and Akhtar as brand ambassadors of the ILT20 in the latest episode of Mr Cricket UAE's podcast. "Because everybody looks at T20 as a batter's game. If you look at the IPL or any other format [league], it's batter-dominated. So bowlers, those who are really quick, have also slowed down. They just want to have variation. Nowadays, bowling has become all about variation. Nobody is bowling very quick, but these two bowlers [Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee] really bowled quick, and they really put the batsmen on the back foot.

"And I think it’s a good concept. People will look at them and start bowling quick. See, we have Khuzaima [Bin Tanvir] who bowls quick. There will be players who will come and look at these role models, thinking, 'Man, I want to be like him.' It's a good concept, I would say. Rather than elevating batters every time, I think bowlers should be given some importance. Most of the time, batsmen win matches, but championships are won by bowlers."

Notably, four of the top five wicket-takers in the 2025 DP World ILT20 season were pace bowlers. UAE quicks Ajay Kumar (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) and Khuzaima bin Tanveer (Desert Vipers) finished second and third, respectively, on the leading wicket-takers' list, claiming 18 and 17 wickets.