A high-profile auction featuring a roster of international Twenty20 cricket stars is scheduled for Thursday at the ICC Academy Indoors in Dubai as part of the fifth season of the DP World International League T20 (ILT20).
Over 200 cricketers representing 23 countries will be available to franchises during the auction. The player pool includes representatives from 11 ICC Full Member nations, alongside talent from ILT20 partner countries Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as well as participants from 10 other ICC Associate Member countries.
Top-tier players are segmented into price brackets of $80,000, $40,000, and $10,000. The premier $80,000 category features notable names such as Pakistan’s Babar Azam, England’s Phil Salt and Jonny Bairstow, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, and players like Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Alzarri Joseph. The $40,000 group includes seasoned internationals like Shadab Khan, Ibrahim Zadran, Kusal Perera, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gulbadin Naib, and Andre Fletcher. Emerging and established cricketers such as Will Smeed, Reeza Hendricks, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ish Sodhi, and Matt Potts fall into the $10,000 category. Players from the Gulf region—UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia—will enter the auction at the $10,000 base price.
According to the Season 5 Player Recruitment Rules, franchises are prohibited from retaining players from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, ensuring a competitive bidding environment for regional stars. This includes notable players like UAE’s Muhammad Waseem, Junaid Siddique, Haider Ali, Ayan Afzal Khan, Alishan Sharafu, and Khuzaima Tanveer. Teams may exercise a Right to Match (RTM) option once during the auction for a UAE player who either represented them in the previous ILT20 season or the recently concluded ILT20 Development Tournament.
Each franchise begins with a base salary purse of $1.3 million, supplemented by any unused portion of their pre-auction signing allowance of $700,000. MI Emirates holds the largest budget at $1.39 million, followed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at $1.365 million. Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants each have $1.305 million available, while Dubai Capitals and Sharjah Warriors will commence with $1.3 million after fully utilizing their pre-auction allowances.
Roster requirements mandate teams to field squads ranging from 18 to 23 players post-auction. Every team must include a minimum of 11 players from ICC Full Member countries, inclusive of four from Afghanistan and one from Ireland, alongside at least four UAE players, one player each from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and an additional player from ICC Associate nations. Teams are obligated to spend between $1.5 million and $2 million during the auction, with the option to add one Wild-card player afterward for up to $250,000.
Players withdrawing on or before October 11 will be ineligible as replacements or Wild-card selections. Each matchday squad must contain at least two UAE players, two Afghan players, and one additional Associate Member player. The remaining Associate slot can be fulfilled by either another UAE player or a cricketer from Associate countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The tournament’s rules aim to balance international flair with regional representation, underscoring ILT20’s commitment to growing cricket in the Gulf and associate member nations.