Jason Holder

Profile details

FULL NAME

Jason Holder

TEAMS

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

The captain's job

Holder is a right-handed batter and right-arm fast-medium bowler, and he is the Knight Riders' captain for a second straight season. He was one of four players retained before the Season 5 auction, and the franchise's decision to keep him as captain says everything about how last season went: the Knight Riders reached Qualifier 2, their best ILT20 campaign so far, and Holder was at the centre of it.

His value is in his completeness. He can open the bowling, bat in the top six, field in the slips or the deep, and captain a side full of big names without fuss. At 35, he has played more than 100 Tests, ODIs and T20Is combined for West Indies, captained his country in all three formats, and played in every major T20 league in the world. The Knight Riders have never won the ILT20; Holder's job is to change that.

Career so far

Holder made his West Indies debut in 2013 and captained the Test side from 2015 to 2021, taking West Indies to series wins over England and a famous victory at Headingley in 2017. He has played in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants, and in the Big Bash, the CPL and the ILT20.

His all-round record is remarkable: more than 150 Test wickets, over 100 ODI wickets, and a Test double hundred against England in 2019 that remains one of the great innings by a West Indian all-rounder. In T20 cricket he is a proven finisher with the bat and a death bowler with the ball, and his 5 for 27 against England in 2022 — four wickets in four balls — is still talked about. For the Knight Riders, he is captain, senior pro and match-winner in one.

The side he leads

Holder's squad is a mix of power and experience. Finn Allen and Colin Munro open the batting, Kane Williamson anchors it, Sunil Narine and Moeen Ali are two of the great T20 all-rounders, and the bowling has spin in Narine and Qais Ahmad and seam in Gulbadin Naib and the young quicks.

What the side lacked last season was a finish — they reached Qualifier 2 and fell short of the final. Holder's task this season is to turn a good squad into a champion one, and the tools are there: six of the ten league games are at home in Abu Dhabi, the top order is as strong as any in the league, and the captain himself can change a game with bat or ball. The Knight Riders' first title would be Holder's first as a franchise captain — and that is a powerful motivation.

What’s next

Holder's season starts on 22 November against Dubai Capitals in Dubai, and the Knight Riders' first home game follows four days later against MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. The full list of every ILT20 fixture is on the ILT20 Schedule.

• Match 3 — Dubai Capitals: Sunday 22 November 2026, evening session, Dubai.
• Match 7 — MI Emirates: Thursday 26 November 2026, evening session, Abu Dhabi.
• Match 11 — Sharjah Warriorz: Sunday 29 November 2026, afternoon session, Abu Dhabi.
• Match 13 — MI Emirates: Monday 30 November 2026, evening session, Abu Dhabi.
• Match 15 — Desert Vipers: Wednesday 2 December 2026, afternoon session, Abu Dhabi.
• Match 17 — Gulf Giants: Thursday 3 December 2026, evening session, Dubai.
• Match 19 — Gulf Giants: Saturday 5 December 2026, evening session, Abu Dhabi.
• Match 24 — Sharjah Warriorz: Wednesday 9 December 2026, evening session, Sharjah.
• Match 27 — Desert Vipers: Saturday 12 December 2026, evening session, Dubai.
• Match 30 — Dubai Capitals: Monday 14 December 2026, evening session, Abu Dhabi.
• Playoffs: Qualifier 1 on Tuesday 16 December, the Eliminator on Wednesday 17 December, Qualifier 2 on Friday 18 December, and the final on Sunday 20 December in Dubai.

Follow every ILT20 result as it happens on SialTV, with the points table updated after every match day.