Michael Klinger joins Gulf Giants as batting coach ahead of ILT20 season 5

Former Australia batter Michael Klinger has been appointed as the batting coach of the Gulf Giants for the upcoming season of International League T20 (ILT20). Klinger will join Simon Helmot in the coaching staff, who replaced Jonathan Trott as head coach last month.

Former English cricketer Kadeer Ali has also been appointed as the fielding coach, while Gary Brent has taken over as the strength and conditioning coach. Apart from them, Shane Bond (bowling coach), James Pipe (physiotherapist) and Saurabh Walkar (performance analyst) will continue in their roles.

Commenting on his appointment, Klinger, who also serves as head coach of Gujarat Giants in Women’s Premier League (WPL), owned by the same group that owns Gulf Giants, Adani Sportsline, said that he’s looking to build a strong unit that can make an impact in the upcoming season.

"This is an exciting opportunity to join another team within the group. Gulf Giants have strong foundations and I'm looking forward to working closely with Simon and the rest of the staff to help build a solid unit that can make a big impact in the new season,” said Klinger in a media release.

"Klinger brings extensive experience as both a player and coach is well acquainted with [the group's] high-performance environment and player development approach,” said Gulf Giants in a statement.

Klinger brings extensive coaching and cricket management experience, having previously held roles with Melbourne Renegades, Cricket NSW, and Washington Freedom in the men's game. He has also worked in women's cricket through the WPL and The Hundred. Kadeer, meanwhile, has built most of his coaching résumé with Worcestershire and Birmingham Phoenix in England.

ILT20 season 5 begins on November 22

Helmot joined Gulf Giants in mid-May after parting ways with Melbourne Renegades despite having two years remaining on his contract. He succeeded Jonathan Trott, who stepped down after spending just one season as Gulf Giants head coach.

Gulf Giants won the inaugural season of ILT20 in 2023 and finished fifth in the six-team competition in the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, the fifth season of the International League T20 (ILT20) is all set to be held from November 22 to December 20, 2026.

The league will feature 34 matches, including 30 league games and the four playoffs to be played across three venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The ILT20 season 5 will again feature a player’s auction, giving an opportunity to the six teams, namely Desert Vipers, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates, Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriorz and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, to reinforce their squads ahead of the season.