Bahrain in Qatar 2025/26

The Gulf T20I Championship is a regional Twenty20 International cricket tournament featuring the national teams of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It is not a domestic league but an international competition for national sides, sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The inaugural edition was held in September 2023 in Doha, Qatar, organized by the Qatar Cricket Association (QCA). The tournament is planned as an annual event, with the second edition taking place in December 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hosted by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). The format consists of a round-robin group stage where each of the six teams plays every other team once, followed by a single final match between the top two teams from the standings. Oman won the inaugural 2023 title by defeating the UAE by 5 wickets in the final. The UAE won the 2024 edition, defeating Kuwait by 2 runs in a closely contested final. The competition serves as a primary platform for regional cricket development and rivalry in the Middle East, distinct from domestic leagues like the Qatar Pro League or the UAE's domestic structure, as it involves national representative teams rather than club franchises. There is no promotion or relegation, as participation is fixed to the six GCC nations. The tournament has had various commercial associations, including support from SMW Global in 2023 and the International League T20 (ILT20) brand in 2024, but it remains primarily a regional championship under the auspices of the participating national cricket associations.