UAE T20 League (ILT20) Set To Have A $450,000 Per Season Contract For Top Players

The UAE-based International League T20 (ILT20) is set to offer a whopping amount of $450,000 Per Season to the top contracted players per season, making it the second most lucrative for some cricketers after the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Recently, multiple owners of the IPL franchises have brought teams in the UAE T20 league as well. The league, run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) launches in January 2023 with an overall salary cap of potentially USD 2.5 million per team.

Three of the six franchises in ILT20 have owners with teams in the IPL – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals. The other three teams are owned by Lancer Capital, led by Avram Glazer, part of the ownership of Manchester United, Indian business conglomerate Adani Group, and Capri Global.

In comparison, the highest-paid player in the IPL earns more than USD 2 million per season; in the PSL it is USD 200,000; the Hundred offers its best-paid player USD 164,000, and the most expensive overseas players in the BBL make about USD 238,000 per season.

There are also rumors of David Warner skipping the Big Bash League in order to play in the UAE T20 league citing the money difference.

UAE ILT20 To Have Nine Wage Slots For Players- Top Slot Of USD 340,000 And Lowest Of USD 10,000

The UAE International T20 League is actually a global league with each of the franchises allowed to have 12 overseas players out of the 18-member squad. At least three members in a squad will need to be UAE players, two from other Associates, as well as one Under-23 UAE player.

A playing XI can have a maximum of 9 overseas players along with at least one UAE and one Associate player.

As per ESPNCricinfo reports, here are nine wage slots for players, with a top category pay-out of USD 340,000 and the lowest slot of USD 10,000. The overall purse currently is USD 2.5 million, though this includes a “minimum wage bill” of USD 1.5 million.

There is also an option for a bonus for a franchise to pay up to USD 500,000 as a signing-on or loyalty bonus, and an additional USD $500,00 as a bidding purse. The maximum salary a player can get – what the league calls the “total direct payout” – is USD 450,000.

The bulk of a squad will be picked through AUDRA, a unique, hybrid model based on a player draft as well as an auction. Up to five players can be acquired directly by a franchise, outside of AUDRA.

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