Afghanistan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi became the most expensive player in International League T20 (ILT20) auction history after MI Emirates bought him for USD 380,000. Farooqi returns to the franchise for a fifth consecutive season after the record-breaking deal.
The Season 5 Player Auction produced several major deals, with more than 200 players from 23 countries going under the hammer in Dubai on Thursday, October 1. The six franchises entered the auction with purses between USD 1.3 million and USD 1.39 million, while squads had to contain between 18 and 23 players.
Fazalhaq Farooqi Breaks ILT20 Auction Record After Three Price Jumps
Fazalhaq Farooqi surpassed the previous record of USD 260,000, set by Andre Fletcher with MI Emirates in Season 4. The record changed hands three times during the auction before MI Emirates made the final move for the Afghanistan pacer.
Faf du Plessis first raised the benchmark to USD 300,000 after joining Dubai Capitals. The Gulf Giants then used their Right-to-Match (RTM) option to retain Rahmanullah Gurbaz for USD 310,000.
The Giants later pushed the price to USD 350,000 by signing England all-rounder Liam Livingstone. Fazalhaq Farooqi then moved the record to USD 380,000 with his return to MI Emirates.
The Afghanistan left-armer has been part of MI Emirates since the start of the ILT20. Fazalhaq Farooqi played a key role in their Season 2 title-winning campaign in 2024, taking 17 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 7.66.
Babar Azam Joins Desert Vipers at Base Price
The Desert Vipers secured four Pakistan internationals at their USD 80,000 base price. Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, and Shadab Khan will all join the defending champions.
Babar will make his ILT20 debut in Season 5, while Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman return for another campaign with the Vipers.
The UAE players also attracted significant interest. MI Emirates used their RTM option to retain Muhammad Waseem for USD 210,000, making him the most expensive UAE player in ILT20 auction history.
Alishan Sharafu joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for USD 110,000, while Muhammad Rohid and Aayan Khan were bought for USD 95,000 each by the Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders signed USA’s Amshi De Silva for USD 100,000, while Hassan Khan moved to Dubai Capitals for USD 90,000. Scotland’s Brandon McMullen joined Sharjah Warriorz for USD 80,000, and Namibia’s David Wiese went to Gulf Giants for USD 70,000.
Alzarri Joseph, Chris Jordan Among Other Major ILT20 Signings
Gulf Giants signed West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph for USD 230,000, while Sharjah Warriorz added Richard Gleeson for USD 180,000 and Mohammad Nabi for USD 140,000. Paul Walter also joined the Warriorz for USD 110,000.
MI Emirates signed Chris Jordan for USD 170,000 and Lizaad Williams for USD 110,000. The franchise also retained Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar through the RTM option for USD 150,000.
Dubai Capitals used their RTM option to retain Dasun Shanaka for USD 100,000 and also signed Max Holden for the same amount. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders completed notable deals for Moeen Ali at USD 80,000, Arab Gul at USD 80,000, and Gulbadin Naib at USD 75,000.
Biggest auction deals: Fazalhaq Farooqi (MI Emirates) – $380,000; Liam Livingstone (Gulf Giants) – $350,000; Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Gulf Giants) – $310,000; Faf du Plessis (Dubai Capitals) – $300,000; Alzarri Joseph (Gulf Giants) – $230,000; Muhammad Waseem (MI Emirates) – $210,000; Richard Gleeson (Sharjah Warriorz) – $180,000; Chris Jordan (MI Emirates) – $170,000.
ILT20 2026 full squads
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | |||
| Total Spent: USD 1,549,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | Alishan Sharafu | Auction | $110,000 |
| 2 | Amshi De Silva | Auction | $100,000 |
| 3 | Muhammad Rohid | Auction | $95,000 |
| 4 | Moeen Ali | Auction | $80,000 |
| 5 | Arab Gul | Auction | $80,000 |
| 6 | Usman Tariq | Auction | $80,000 |
| 7 | Gulbadin Naib | Auction | $75,000 |
| 8 | Ibrar Ahmed | Auction | $46,000 |
| 9 | Andre Fletcher | Auction | $40,000 |
| 10 | Ajay Kumar | Auction | $40,000 |
| 11 | Colin Munro | Auction | $40,000 |
| 12 | Michael Pepper | Auction | $40,000 |
| 13 | Qais Ahmad | Auction | $38,000 |
| 14 | Jakeem Pollard | Auction | $10,000 |
| 15 | Abdul Mannan Ali | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | Ravija Sandaruwan | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Abdullah Tarakhail | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Lorcan Tucker | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | Finn Allen | Retained/Direct | — |
| 20 | Jason Holder | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | Matthew Tromp | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | Sunil Narine | Retained/Direct | — |
| Desert Vipers | |||
| Total Spent: USD 1,544,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | David Payne | Auction | $150,000 |
| 2 | Fakhar Zaman | Auction | $80,000 |
| 3 | Naseem Shah | Auction | $80,000 |
| 4 | Babar Azam | Auction | $80,000 |
| 5 | Shadab Khan | Auction | $80,000 |
| 6 | Khuzaima Bin Tanveer | Auction | $75,000 |
| 7 | Vriitya Aravind | Auction | $70,000 |
| 8 | Aneurin Donald | Auction | $40,000 |
| 9 | Abdullah Ahmadzai | Auction | $40,000 |
| 10 | Joe Clarke | Auction | $40,000 |
| 11 | Nangeyalia Kharote | Auction | $28,000 |
| 12 | Sanjay Pahal | Auction | $22,000 |
| 13 | Harry Tector | Auction | $12,000 |
| 14 | Ishtiaq Ahmed | Auction | $12,000 |
| 15 | Nilansh Keswani | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | Saleem Safi | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Bilal Tahir | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Wali Muhammad | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | Andries Gous | Retained/Direct | — |
| 20 | Dan Lawrence | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | Mujeeb-ur-Rahman | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | Shimron Hetmyer | Retained/Direct | — |
| Dubai Capitals | |||
| Total Spent: USD 1,834,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | Faf du Plessis | Auction | $300,000 |
| 2 | Max Holden | Auction | $100,000 |
| 3 | Dasun Shanaka | Auction | $100,000 |
| 4 | Aayan Khan | Auction | $95,000 |
| 5 | Hassan Khan | Auction | $90,000 |
| 6 | Phil Salt | Auction | $80,000 |
| 7 | Sediqullah Atal | Auction | $70,000 |
| 8 | Mark Adair | Auction | $55,000 |
| 9 | Karim Janat | Auction | $40,000 |
| 10 | Luke Wood | Auction | $40,000 |
| 11 | Tom Moores | Auction | $40,000 |
| 12 | Haider Ali | Auction | $38,000 |
| 13 | Zuhaib Zubair | Auction | $26,000 |
| 14 | Darwish Rasooli | Auction | $10,000 |
| 15 | Muhammad Arfan | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | Matt Potts | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Usman Najeeb | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Anudeep Chenthamara | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz (U19) | Auction | $10,000 |
| 20 | Marcus Stoinis | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | Mustafizur Rahman | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | Noor Ahmad | Retained/Direct | — |
| 23 | Rovman Powell | Retained/Direct | — |
| Gulf Giants | |||
| Total Spent: USD 1,972,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | Liam Livingstone | Auction | $350,000 |
| 2 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Auction | $310,000 |
| 3 | Alzarri Joseph | Auction | $230,000 |
| 4 | Shamar Joseph | Auction | $80,000 |
| 5 | David Wiese | Auction | $70,000 |
| 6 | Ibrahim Zadran | Auction | $65,000 |
| 7 | Tabraiz Shamsi | Auction | $40,000 |
| 8 | Curtis Campher | Auction | $22,000 |
| 9 | Dhruv Parashar | Auction | $10,000 |
| 10 | Matiullah Khan | Auction | $10,000 |
| 11 | Haider Razzaq | Auction | $10,000 |
| 12 | Imran Mir | Auction | $10,000 |
| 13 | Imtiaz Khan | Auction | $10,000 |
| 14 | Meet Bhavsar | Auction | $10,000 |
| 15 | Shubham Ranjane | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | Wahidullah Zadran | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Awais Ahmed | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Sagar Kalyan | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | Alick Athanaze | Auction | $10,000 |
| 20 | Azmatullah Omarzai | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | Blessing Muzarabani | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | David Miller | Retained/Direct | — |
| 23 | Heinrich Klaasen | Retained/Direct | — |
| MI Emirates | |||
| Total Spent: USD 2,000,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | Auction | $380,000 |
| 2 | Muhammad Waseem | Auction | $210,000 |
| 3 | Chris Jordan | Auction | $170,000 |
| 4 | Allah Ghazanfar | Auction | $150,000 |
| 5 | Lizaad Williams | Auction | $110,000 |
| 6 | James Coles | Auction | $100,000 |
| 7 | Jonny Bairstow | Auction | $80,000 |
| 8 | Kusal Perera | Auction | $40,000 |
| 9 | Jordan Thompson | Auction | $40,000 |
| 10 | Zahoor Khan | Auction | $30,000 |
| 11 | Wasim Akram | Auction | $10,000 |
| 12 | Zain Ul Abidin | Auction | $10,000 |
| 13 | Muhammad Shafeeq | Auction | $10,000 |
| 14 | Asa Tribe | Auction | $10,000 |
| 15 | Raizal Nadir Nather Shah | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | Sanjay Krishnamurthi | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Faridoon Dawoodzai | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Ross Adair | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | Nicholas Pooran | Retained/Direct | — |
| 20 | Rashid Khan | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | Romario Shepherd | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | Sherfane Rutherford | Retained/Direct | — |
| Sharjah Warriorz | |||
| Total Spent: USD 1,720,000 | |||
| # | Player | Status | Price |
| 1 | Richard Gleeson | Auction | $180,000 |
| 2 | Mohammad Nabi | Auction | $140,000 |
| 3 | Paul Walter | Auction | $110,000 |
| 4 | Adil Rashid | Auction | $80,000 |
| 5 | Brandon McMullen | Auction | $80,000 |
| 6 | Tom Banton | Auction | $80,000 |
| 7 | Craig Overton | Auction | $80,000 |
| 8 | George Linde | Auction | $40,000 |
| 9 | Ali Aamer Naseer | Auction | $40,000 |
| 10 | Fareed Malik | Auction | $40,000 |
| 11 | Sharafuddin Ashraf | Auction | $40,000 |
| 12 | Logan van Beek | Auction | $40,000 |
| 13 | Junaid Siddique | Auction | $10,000 |
| 14 | Tanish Suri | Auction | $10,000 |
| 15 | Nabeel Aziz | Auction | $10,000 |
| 16 | George Dockrell | Auction | $10,000 |
| 17 | Mohammad Saqib | Auction | $10,000 |
| 18 | Arunraj Selvaraj | Auction | $10,000 |
| 19 | James Rew | Auction | $10,000 |
| 20 | Adam Milne | Retained/Direct | — |
| 21 | James Vince | Retained/Direct | — |
| 22 | Waqar Salamkheil | Retained/Direct | — |
| 23 | Sikandar Raza | Retained/Direct | — |
