Dubai, Jan 18 (IANS): After winning the ILT20 trophy in the first season, the Gulf Giants have assembled a squad of young talented players, led by experienced stars as they commence their campaign with a blockbuster clash against the Sharjah Warriors at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Led by James Vince, the side also retained Chris Lynn, one of many international players who have excelled in the 2023-24 edition of Australia's Big Bash League (BBL), leaving as the third-highest run-scorer with 304 runs to his name.

The star Australian batter was a part of the pre-tournament press conference, and gave an idea on how his team will approach the second edition of the ILT20 as defending champions.

“We won't change too much because our method and blueprint worked last time out, so it's all about just executing that again. Yes, we've got a couple personnel changes but our blueprint is there. In T20 cricket, it's not about reinventing, it’s about executing the smaller things. You have to adapt to the condition because the ball did swing around a little bit. We got 3-4 weeks together and hopefully the results will take care of themselves,” said Chris Lynn

They will also be boosted by the return of Jamie Overton, who comes to the campaign with 16 wickets in the BBL, adding experience to a young batch of players like Sanchit Sharma and Aayan Khan. A lot of eyes will be on Aayan, who captained UAE to the final of the U19 Asia Cup where they went on to lose the final against Bangladesh.

Aayan also represented UAE in the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2022, winning the Player of the Match in a victory over the West Indies with a brilliant knock of 93 runs and one wicket to his name.

Speaking about the rise of these young stars, Lynn has taken the onus on himself and the other experienced international stars in the team to help the UAE players. “Every tournament has their pros and cons. Our job as cricketers is not only to entertain but also to grow the game, and to grow the game in the UAE is very important. Building up the next local talent via the ILT20 is among the biggest challenges in itself,” added Lynn.

Head coach Andy Flower has retained most of the stars which ended in triumph as the Giants beat the Desert Vipers to the trophy. They have stuck to their tried and tested core from the first season, including Chris Jordan, their star bowler who took 20 wickets in 10 games in the 1st season of the ILT20, will also be a part of the team.

Gulf Giants have also added the spin maestro Mujeeb Ur Rahman to support Rehan Ahmed and Aayan in what looks like a formidable bowling unit which already had Dominic Drakes, Richard Gleeson and Carlos Braithwaite in the mix.

Facing the Warriors in their first game of the season will be a fitting test of their credentials as defending champions, with a new-look team led by Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore and coached by JP Duminy, have been pipped as worthy opponents by head coach Flower, and Lynn reiterated the team’s desire to be champions once again.

“Everyone wearing the Gulf Giants jersey puts the team first. But it is a small recognition of a personal performance and pride. In T20 cricket, sometimes you only need one player to perform with the bat and the ball, and you have your Player of the Match in the dressing room,” concluded the Australia star.