M.I. Emirates set new ILT20 auction record with $380k signing of Fazalhaq Farooqi, while Babar Azam leads Desert Vipers’ Pakistan contingent

For the second consecutive ILT20 auction, Desert Vipers—owned by American businessman Avram Glazer—have reinforced their core with Pakistani talent, securing no rival bids from the other five franchises. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals, Sharjah Warriorz, Gulf Giants and MI Emirates are all owned by Indian interests. Only Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, which signed Usman Tariq for $80,000 in the accelerated rounds, selected a Pakistani player during the auction.

Vipers completed their Pakistan quartet for $320,000, while Afghanistan left‑arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi was claimed by MI Emirates for $380,000. Farooqi’s signing set a new ILT20 auction record, surpassing Andre Fletcher’s previous mark of $260,000. Fletcher, who was MI Emirates’ top buy last season, accepted a substantial pay cut to join Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for $40,000.

Farooqi is the competition’s leading wicket‑taker, having claimed 64 strikes in 40 innings at an economy rate of 7.76.

England all‑rounder Liam Livingstone was the second‑highest‑valued acquisition at the 2026 ILT20 auction, fetching a $350,000 bid from Gulf Giants. He will reunite with the franchise’s new head coach, Simon Helmot, with whom he previously collaborated at Sunrisers Hyderabad during the IPL season earlier this year.

Afghanistan players in high demand

Afghanistan wicketkeeper‑batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the sole other player to cross the $300,000 threshold, commanding a $310,000 bid from Abu Dhabi Knight Riders after outbidding Vipers. Gulf Giants, however, exercised their right‑to‑match and retained him.

Under the new auction regulations, each franchise must field a minimum of four Afghan players, driving strong demand for talent from that nation. In total, the six teams selected 25 Afghan cricketers during Thursday’s auction.

Fakhar Zaman will turn out for Desert Vipers alongside Babar Azam•Associated Press

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, disappointed in missing Gurbaz, secured Gulbadin Naib for $75,000 and, in the accelerated rounds, added wristspinner Qais Ahmad for $38,000. They also signed Arab Gul, a 21‑year‑old wristspinner modelled on Rashid Khan. Gul previously played for MI Emirates and made his T20I debut for Afghanistan at the Asian Games in Japan.

MI Emirates activated their right‑to‑match to re‑sign mystery spinner A. M. Ghazanfar for $150,000 and will partner him with Rashid Khan, a pre‑auction acquisition. Sharjah Warriorz invested $140,000 in 41‑year‑old Mohammad Nabi, while his son Hassan Eisakhil went unsold.

Wahidullah Zadran, often likened to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, rejoined Gulf Giants after a two‑game stint in the 2024‑25 ILT20 season.

Uncertainty continues over availability of UAE players

UAE T20I captain Harpreet Singh went unsold, while Chennai‑born wicketkeeper‑batter Vriitya Aravind—whose form with the national side has been limited for over a year—fetched a $70,000 bid from Vipers. Despite a modest T20I strike rate of 112.39, Aravind’s price may reflect concerns over the potential absence of key UAE players later in the season.

The ILT20 schedule (21 Nov–20 Dec in the UAE) conflicts with the 2027 ODI World Cup Qualifier playoffs (1–22 Dec), whose venue the ICC has yet to confirm.

The Emirates Cricket Board approached the ICC to explore shifting the qualifiers to January, but was informed that the global calendar is too congested.

Former UAE captain and prolific six‑hitter Muhammad Waseem was reclaimed by MI Emirates through their right‑to‑match, paying $210,000. He is not currently in the national setup and is expected to be available for the full ILT20 campaign.

Former India international KS Bharat, who has relocated to the UAE and registered as a local wicketkeeper‑batter, attracted no bids. He had taken part in the ILT20 development tournament preceding the auction but was overlooked in both the specialist and accelerated squads.

Meet the ILT20 newbies

Vipers signed England’s Aneurin Donald, an explosive top‑order batter who also offers wicket‑keeping duties. Donald boasts a T20 strike rate of 171.33, placing him in the same class as Finn Allen, Mitch Owen and Abhishek Sharma.

His compatriot James Coles, who impressed in the SA20 with Sunrisers Eastern Cape and in the Hundred for London Spirit, is also tipped for an ILT20 debut. MI Emirates secured Coles for $100,000.

Aneurin Donald is set to make his ILT20 debut for Desert Vipers•David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images

While Kieron Pollard was absent from the auction, his namesake Jakeem Pollard joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, where he will serve under head coach Dwayne Bravo. Bravo, who coached Trinbago Knight Riders, witnessed Jakeem’s rise in the 2026 CPL, where the left‑arm quick produced searing bounce.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will also feature Sri Lanka‑born USA all‑rounder Amshi de Silva, the breakout star of MLC 2026 who missed the CPL with Trinbago. De Silva, who will team up with Bravo in the ILT20, was secured for $100,000 after a bidding war.

“Bravo has been playing this game for a long time,” de Silva told Cricinfo in August. “He has experience, especially playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Definitely [I will gain] more [knowledge] of tactics, more skills and more game awareness from him, which will be huge for my career going forward.”

Tom Moody has a chat with Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver•ILT20

Squads

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Auction Signings: Alishan Sharafu ($110,000), Amshi De Silva ($100,000), Muhammad Rohid ($95,000), Moeen Ali ($80,000), Arab Gul ($80,000), Usman Tariq ($80,000), Gulbadin Naib ($75,000), Ibrar Ahmed ($46,000), Andre Fletcher ($40,000), Ajay Kumar ($40,000), Colin Munro ($40,000), Michael Pepper ($40,000), Qais Ahmad ($38,000), Jakeem Pollard ($10,000), Abdul Mannan Ali ($10,000), Ravija Sandaruwan ($10,000), Abdullah Tarakhail ($10,000), Lorcan Tucker ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Finn Allen, Jason Holder, Matthew Tromp, Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers

Auction Signings: David Payne ($150,000), Fakhar Zaman ($80,000), Naseem Shah ($80,000), Babar Azam ($80,000), Shadab Khan ($80,000), Khuzaima Bin Tanveer ($75,000), Vriitya Aravind ($70,000), Aneurin Donald ($40,000), Abdullah Ahmadzai ($40,000), Joe Clarke ($40,000), Nangeyalia Kharote ($28,000), Sanjay Pahal ($22,000), Harry Tector ($12,000), Ishtiaq Ahmed ($12,000), Nilansh Keswani ($10,000), Saleem Safi ($10,000), Bilal Tahir ($10,000), Wali Muhammad ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shimron Hetmyer.

Dubai Capitals

Auction Signings: Faf du Plessis ($300,000), Max Holden ($100,000), Dasun Shanaka ($100,000), Aayan Khan ($95,000), Hassan Khan ($90,000), Phil Salt ($80,000), Sediqullah Atal ($70,000), Mark Adair ($55,000), Karim Janat ($40,000), Luke Wood ($40,000), Tom Moores ($40,000), Haider Ali ($38,000), Zuhaib Zubair ($26,000), Darwish Rasooli ($10,000), Muhammad Arfan ($10,000), Matt Potts ($10,000), Usman Najeeb ($10,000), Anudeep Chenthamara ($10,000), Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz – U19 ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rovman Powell.

Gulf Giants

Auction Signings: Liam Livingstone ($350,000), Rahmanullah Gurbaz ($310,000), Alzarri Joseph ($230,000), Shamar Joseph ($80,000), David Wiese ($70,000), Ibrahim Zadran ($65,000), Tabraiz Shamsi ($40,000), Curtis Campher ($22,000), Dhruv Parashar ($10,000), Matiullah Khan ($10,000), Haider Razzaq ($10,000), Imran Mir ($10,000), Imtiaz Khan ($10,000), Meet Bhavsar ($10,000), Shubham Ranjane ($10,000), Wahidullah Zadran ($10,000), Awais Ahmed ($10,000), Sagar Kalyan ($10,000), Alick Athanaze ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen.

MI Emirates

Auction Signings: Fazalhaq Farooqi ($380,000), Muhammad Waseem ($210,000), Chris Jordan ($170,000), AM Ghazanfar ($150,000), Lizaad Williams ($110,000), James Coles ($100,000), Jonny Bairstow ($80,000), Kusal Perera ($40,000), Jordan Thompson ($40,000), Zahoor Khan ($30,000), Wasim Akram ($10,000), Zain Ul Abidin ($10,000), Muhammad Shafeeq ($10,000), Asa Tribe ($10,000), Raizal Nadir Nather Shah ($10,000), Sanjay Krishnamurthi ($10,000), Faridoon Dawoodzai ($10,000), Ross Adair ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford.

Sharjah Warriorz

Auction Signings: Richard Gleeson ($180,000), Mohammad Nabi ($140,000), Paul Walter ($110,000), Adil Rashid ($80,000), Brandon McMullen ($80,000), Tom Banton ($80,000), Craig Overton ($80,000), George Linde ($40,000), Ali Aamer Naseer ($40,000), Fareed Malik ($40,000), Sharafuddin Ashraf ($40,000), Logan van Beek ($40,000), Junaid Siddique ($10,000), Tanish Suri ($10,000), Nabeel Aziz ($10,000), George Dockrell ($10,000), Mohammad Saqib ($10,000), Arunraj Selvaraj ($10,000), James Rew ($10,000).
Retentions and Direct Signings: Adam Milne, James Vince, Waqar Salamkheil, Sikandar Raza.

Deivarayan Muthu is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

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