Gulf Giants have appointed Australian Simon Helmot as their new head coach ahead of this year’s ILT20. He replaces legendary former England batter Jonathan Trott, who was in the role for one season.
Helmot had resigned from his position as head coach of the Women’s team of the Melbourne Renegades last month to “explore a new opportunity”. That has now been confirmed as the ILT20, which has moved to a November-December window and therefore overlaps with the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
“My discussions with Mr Pranav Adani [director of the group that owns Gulf Giants] reflected [our] long-term commitment towards building strong sporting ecosystems, nurturing talent and creating competitive teams,” he said in a statement.
Helmot has an impressive profile as a coach, having the Caribbean Premier League and the WBBL titles in his cabinet. He is currently in India, working as an assistant to Daniel Vettori, who is the head coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Gulf Giants were the inaugural ILT20 champions in 2023 under the guidance of Andy Flower. The former Zimbabwean captain and current head coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru was replaced by Trott last season. Now, Trott has vacated the role after a fifth-place finish in his only campaign in charge.
The fifth edition of the ILT20 will run from November 22 to December 20, a shift designed to avoid clashing with other franchise tournaments, including Australia’s Big Bash League and South Africa’s SA20. The player auction is expected to be held in early October.
Desert Vipers are the defending champions of the ILT20. They emerged victorious in the previous edition of the tournament, which was held in the December 2025-January 2026 window. The Vipers, led by Sam Curran, defeated Kieron Pollard’s MI Emirates by 46 runs in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Curran captained his team from the front and went on to win both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.
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