ILT20 Auction 2026 Players List, Prices and Unsold Players
Every signing, every price and every purse from the ICC Academy in Dubai.
The ILT20 auction for Season 5 was held on 1 October 2026 at the ICC Academy in Dubai, and it changed the look of all six squads. Around 400 players from 23 countries went into the pool. By the end of the day Fazalhaq Farooqi had become the most expensive player in ILT20 history after MI Emirates paid $380,000 for the Afghan left arm quick.
If you came here to see who your team bought, this page has every franchise’s signings, the big names who went unsold and how much money each side has left. Once you know the squads you can plan your viewing with the full ILT20 Season 5 schedule, compare all six ILT20 squads in one place, and follow the race for the playoffs on the ILT20 points table once the season starts on 22 November.
ILT20 Auction 2026 at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 October 2026 |
| Start time | 1pm UAE, 2pm PKT, 2:30pm IST |
| Venue | ICC Academy, Dubai |
| Players in the pool | About 400 from 23 countries |
| Purse per team | $1.3 million plus unused retention money |
| Base price brackets | $10,000, $40,000 and $80,000 |
| Right to Match cards | Up to 4 per team |
| Squad size | 18 to 23 players |
Most Expensive Players at the ILT20 2026 Auction
Gulf Giants spent the most on star power. They landed Liam Livingstone for $350,000, Rahmanullah Gurbaz for $310,000 and Alzarri Joseph for $230,000, which gives the Gulf Giants squad one of the strongest top orders in the league.
MI Emirates made the biggest single splash with Farooqi and also paid $210,000 for UAE captain Muhammad Waseem. Faf du Plessis went to Dubai Capitals for $300,000, and the same franchise added Phil Salt at his $80,000 base price.
| Player | Country | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Afghanistan | MI Emirates | $380,000 |
| Liam Livingstone | England | Gulf Giants | $350,000 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | Gulf Giants | $310,000 |
| Faf du Plessis | South Africa | Dubai Capitals | $300,000 |
| Alzarri Joseph | West Indies | Gulf Giants | $230,000 |
| Muhammad Waseem | UAE | MI Emirates | $210,000 |
Babar Azam Joins the Defending Champions
Babar Azam was one of the headline names in the pool and he didn’t wait long. The former Pakistan captain went in Round 3 to the Desert Vipers at his base price of $80,000, which many fans saw as one of the bargains of the day.
The Vipers built a strong Pakistan core around him. Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan also joined at $80,000 each. With Babar and Fakhar at the top of the order, the defending champions now have one of the most experienced opening pairs in the tournament.
Big Names Who Went Unsold
Not every star found a buyer. Some of the best known players in the pool got no bids at all.
| Player | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | Leg spin all rounder |
| Chris Woakes | England | Seam bowling all rounder |
| Alex Hales | England | Opening batter |
| Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | Opening batter |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | Spin all rounder |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | Leg spinner |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Sri Lanka | Fast bowler |
| Tymal Mills | England | Left arm fast bowler |
| Ollie Stone | England | Fast bowler |
| Dwayne Pretorius | South Africa | All rounder |
| Saurabh Netravalkar | USA | Left arm seamer |
| Bas de Leede | Netherlands | All rounder |
| KS Bharat | India | Wicketkeeper batter |
Every Team’s Auction Buys and Prices
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
The Knight Riders went in with the second biggest purse and spent it on depth rather than one huge name. Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Finn Allen and Matthew Tromp were already signed, so the auction was about local talent and spin options. Using an RTM card to keep Alishan Sharafu at $110,000 shows how highly they rate the UAE batter. Moeen Ali and Gulbadin Naib give the squad real all round balance for the slower Abu Dhabi pitches.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Alishan Sharafu (RTM) | UAE | $110,000 |
| Amish de Silva | USA | $100,000 |
| Muhammad Rohid | UAE | $95,000 |
| Moeen Ali | England | $80,000 |
| Arab Gul | Afghanistan | $80,000 |
| Usman Tariq | Pakistan | $80,000 |
| Gulbadin Naib | Afghanistan | $75,000 |
| Ibrar Ahmad | UAE | $46,000 |
| Ajay Kumar | UAE | $40,000 |
| Colin Munro | New Zealand | $40,000 |
| Andre Fletcher | West Indies | $40,000 |
| Michael Pepper | England | $40,000 |
| Qais Ahmad | Afghanistan | $38,000 |
| Jakeem Pollard | West Indies | $10,000 |
| Lorcan Tucker | Ireland | $10,000 |
| Abdullah Tarakhail | Afghanistan | $10,000 |
| Ravija Sandaruwan | Kuwait | $10,000 |
| Abdul Mannan Ali | Saudi Arabia | $10,000 |
Desert Vipers
The defending champions already had Shimron Hetmyer, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Andries Gous in the squad. Their auction was all about Pakistan stars and smart value. Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan all came at $80,000, while England left armer David Payne was their priciest pick at $150,000. Even after all that, the Vipers walked away with more money left than any other team.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| David Payne | England | $150,000 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | $80,000 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan | $80,000 |
| Naseem Shah | Pakistan | $80,000 |
| Shadab Khan | Pakistan | $80,000 |
| Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (RTM) | UAE | $75,000 |
| Vriitya Aravind | UAE | $70,000 |
| Aneurin Donald | England | $40,000 |
| Joe Clarke | England | $40,000 |
| Abdullah Ahmadzai | Afghanistan | $40,000 |
| Nangeyalia Kharote | Afghanistan | $28,000 |
| Sanjay Pahal | UAE | $22,000 |
| Harry Tector | Ireland | $12,000 |
| Ishtiaq Ahmed | Saudi Arabia | $12,000 |
| Nilansh Keshwani | UAE | $10,000 |
| Saleem Safi | Afghanistan | $10,000 |
| Bilal Tahir | Kuwait | $10,000 |
| Wali Muhammad | UAE | $10,000 |
Dubai Capitals
Dubai Capitals paid one of the biggest fees of the day for Faf du Plessis and backed him with proven T20 hitters. Marcus Stoinis, Rovman Powell, Noor Ahmad and Mustafizur Rahman were signed before the auction. Phil Salt at $80,000 could prove to be the best value buy in the league. Dasun Shanaka came back through an RTM card for $100,000, and Max Holden matched that fee.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Faf du Plessis | South Africa | $300,000 |
| Max Holden | England | $100,000 |
| Dasun Shanaka (RTM) | Sri Lanka | $100,000 |
| Aayan Khan | UAE | $95,000 |
| Hassan Khan | USA | $90,000 |
| Phil Salt | England | $80,000 |
| Sediqullah Atal | Afghanistan | $70,000 |
| Mark Adair | Ireland | $55,000 |
| Karim Janat | Afghanistan | $40,000 |
| Tom Moores | England | $40,000 |
| Luke Wood | England | $40,000 |
| Haider Ali | UAE | $38,000 |
| Zuhaib Zubair | UAE | $26,000 |
| Darwish Rasooli | Afghanistan | $10,000 |
| Matt Potts | England | $10,000 |
| Muhammad Arfan | UAE | $10,000 |
| Masood ul Rahman Gurbaz | UAE | $10,000 |
| Usman Najeeb | Saudi Arabia | $10,000 |
| Anudeep Chenthamara | Kuwait | $10,000 |
Gulf Giants
No team spent bigger at the top end. Gulf Giants put $890,000 into just three players: Liam Livingstone, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alzarri Joseph. Add David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Azmatullah Omarzai and Blessing Muzarabani from before the auction and this batting line up looks frightening. The catch is that most other spots were filled at $10,000, and they finished with only $28,000 in the bank.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Livingstone | England | $350,000 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | $310,000 |
| Alzarri Joseph | West Indies | $230,000 |
| Shamar Joseph | West Indies | $80,000 |
| David Wiese | South Africa | $70,000 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Afghanistan | $65,000 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | South Africa | $40,000 |
| Curtis Campher | Ireland | $22,000 |
| Matiullah Khan | UAE | $10,000 |
| Dhruv Parashar | UAE | $10,000 |
| Haider Razzaq | UAE | $10,000 |
| Sagar Kalyan | UAE | $10,000 |
| Awais Ahmed | UAE | $10,000 |
| Wahidullah Zadran | UAE | $10,000 |
| Imran Mir | Afghanistan | $10,000 |
| Alick Athanaze | West Indies | $10,000 |
| Shubham Ranjane | USA | $10,000 |
| Meet Bhavsar | Kuwait | $10,000 |
| Imtiaz Khan | Saudi Arabia | $10,000 |
MI Emirates
MI Emirates were the only team to spend every last dollar. Fazalhaq Farooqi at $380,000 is now the ILT20 record, and Chris Jordan and AM Ghazanfar add even more bowling quality. With Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford already in the squad, this is a team clearly built to win straight away.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Afghanistan | $380,000 |
| Muhammad Waseem | UAE | $210,000 |
| Chris Jordan | England | $170,000 |
| AM Ghazanfar | Afghanistan | $150,000 |
| Lizaad Williams | South Africa | $110,000 |
| James Coles | England | $100,000 |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | $80,000 |
| Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka | $40,000 |
| Jordan Thompson | England | $40,000 |
| Zahoor Khan | UAE | $30,000 |
| Wasim Akram | UAE | $10,000 |
| Raizal Nadir Nather Shah | UAE | $10,000 |
| Asa Tribe | England | $10,000 |
| Ross Adair | Ireland | $10,000 |
| Faridoon Dawoodzai | Afghanistan | $10,000 |
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | USA | $10,000 |
| Mohamed Shafeeq | Kuwait | $10,000 |
| Zain ul Abidin | Saudi Arabia | $10,000 |
Sharjah Warriorz
Sharjah Warriorz leaned heavily on English county experience. Richard Gleeson was their biggest buy at $180,000, with Paul Walter, Craig Overton, Adil Rashid and Tom Banton joining too. Veteran Mohammad Nabi at $140,000 brings calm and leadership. He links up with Sikandar Raza, James Vince, Adam Milne and Waqar Salamkheil, who were all signed before the auction.
| Player | Country | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Gleeson | England | $180,000 |
| Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | $140,000 |
| Paul Walter | England | $110,000 |
| Adil Rashid | England | $80,000 |
| Craig Overton | England | $80,000 |
| Tom Banton | England | $80,000 |
| Brandon McMullen | Scotland | $80,000 |
| Ali Aamer Naseer | UAE | $40,000 |
| George Linde | South Africa | $40,000 |
| Logan van Beek | Netherlands | $40,000 |
| Sharafuddin Ashraf | Afghanistan | $40,000 |
| Fareed Malik | Afghanistan | $40,000 |
| Tanish Suri | UAE | $10,000 |
| Junaid Siddique | UAE | $10,000 |
| Nabeel Aziz | UAE | $10,000 |
| George Dockrell | Ireland | $10,000 |
| James Rew | England | $10,000 |
| Arunraj Selvaraj | Kuwait | $10,000 |
| Mohammad Saqib | Saudi Arabia | $10,000 |
Remaining Purse for Each Team After the Auction
MI Emirates emptied their wallet completely, while Gulf Giants finished with almost nothing left after their three big buys. Desert Vipers and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have the most money in reserve, which gives them room for replacement signings if injuries strike before the season.
| Team | Starting purse | Spent | Remaining | Players bought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Vipers | $1,305,000 | $849,000 | $456,000 | 18 |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | $1,365,000 | $914,000 | $451,000 | 18 |
| Sharjah Warriorz | $1,300,000 | $1,020,000 | $280,000 | 19 |
| Dubai Capitals | $1,300,000 | $1,134,000 | $166,000 | 19 |
| Gulf Giants | $1,305,000 | $1,277,000 | $28,000 | 19 |
| MI Emirates | $1,390,000 | $1,390,000 | $0 | 18 |
How the ILT20 Auction Works
Each franchise started with a purse of $1.3 million. Teams could also use whatever was left from a separate $700,000 allowance for direct signings and retentions, which is why MI Emirates went in with the biggest budget at $1.39 million.
The rules are built to keep the league rooted in the region. Every squad needs at least 11 players from ICC Full Member nations, including at least four from Afghanistan and one from Ireland. Each team must also carry four UAE players, one from Kuwait, one from Saudi Arabia and one from another Associate nation. That’s why UAE cricketers like Waseem and Alishan Sharafu attract serious money.
Players register in one of three base price brackets. A Right to Match card lets a franchise keep a former player by matching the winning bid, and each team gets up to four of these across the different player categories.
ILT20 Player Salaries Explained
The ILT20 doesn’t publish a separate salary list. The price a player is bought for at the auction is what the franchise pays him for the season. That’s why a search for Naseem Shah’s ILT20 salary leads straight back to his $80,000 deal with Desert Vipers.
Teams also have to stay inside a spending band of $1.5 million to $2 million for the whole squad. One wildcard signing sits outside that limit, which gives franchises room to bring in a marquee name without breaking their budget.
Where to Watch the ILT20 Auction Live
In India the ILT20 auction was shown live on Unite8Sports and Unite8Sports 2 HD, with streaming on Zee5. Fans outside India could watch it free on the official ILT20 YouTube channel. The next big viewing date is the season opener, and you can follow every ball on our ILT20 live score page when the action starts.
What Happens Next
Season 5 runs from 22 November to 20 December 2026 with 34 matches across Dubai International Stadium, Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The final will be played in Dubai. Once the new signings take the field, the ILT20 player stats will show which auction buys were worth the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the ILT20 2026 auction held?
It took place on 1 October 2026 at the ICC Academy in Dubai, starting at 1pm UAE time.
Who is the most expensive player in ILT20 history?
Fazalhaq Farooqi. MI Emirates bought him for $380,000 at the Season 5 auction.
Was Babar Azam sold in the ILT20 auction?
Yes. Desert Vipers bought Babar Azam for his base price of $80,000 in Round 3.
Which team has the most money left after the ILT20 auction?
Desert Vipers, with $456,000 remaining. MI Emirates spent their entire $1.39 million purse.
Which big names went unsold at the ILT20 auction?
Wanindu Hasaranga, Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, Pathum Nissanka, Shakib Al Hasan and Imran Tahir were among the players who didn’t get a bid.
Where can I watch the ILT20 auction live?
In India it was on Unite8Sports TV channels and the Zee5 app. Elsewhere it was streamed on the official ILT20 YouTube channel.
What is a Right to Match card in the ILT20?
It lets a team keep a player from its previous squad by matching the highest bid for him. Each franchise can use up to four.
How many players can an ILT20 team have?
Each squad must have between 18 and 23 players.
Last updated: 7 October 2026