ILT20 2026 Squads Ranked: The Strongest Team After the Season 5 Auction
Six franchises walked into the Season 5 auction in Dubai on 1 October 2026 with a USD 2 million purse each, and they walked out with six very different squads. One team spent every dollar. One spent the least and still kept the most money back. And the defending champions somehow bought the biggest name in the auction for his base price. This is the full ranking of the ILT20 2026 squads after the auction, team by team, with the verified spending figures behind every call. For every squad, fixture list and player list in one place, start with our ILT20 teams hub.
How this ILT20 2026 ranking works
Spending is not strength. Retained players and direct signings do not show up in auction totals, so a team can spend less in the room and still field the better XI. The ranking weighs four things: the strength of the likely playing XI, the quality of the retained core, balance across batting, pace, spin and UAE players, and how much purse is left for a mid-season replacement. The full list of record fees is in our top 10 most expensive ILT20 players ranking.
Auction spending by team
| Team | Auction spend (USD) | Purse left (USD) | Most expensive buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI Emirates | 2,000,000 | 0 | Fazalhaq Farooqi, $380,000 |
| Gulf Giants | 1,972,000 | 28,000 | Liam Livingstone, $350,000 |
| Dubai Capitals | 1,834,000 | 166,000 | Faf du Plessis, $300,000 |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 1,549,000 | 451,000 | Alishan Sharafu, $110,000 (RTM) |
| Desert Vipers | 1,544,000 | 456,000 | David Payne, $150,000 (RTM) |
Spend figures are the verified totals reported by IANS, the Times of India and Al Etihad. Sharjah Warriorz are not in this table because the reported totals for them conflict: the Times of India and Cricket Daily put their spend at USD 1,720,000, while Al Etihad reported USD 1,792,000. Until one figure is confirmed, they are ranked on their squad alone, not on a number we cannot stand over.
1. MI Emirates: the most complete squad in the league
MI Emirates spent the entire USD 2 million purse, the only team to do so (Times of India), and the money is visible in every department. Fazalhaq Farooqi’s USD 380,000 fee is a league record. Muhammad Waseem was kept through a USD 210,000 right to match card, the highest price ever paid for a UAE player. Chris Jordan cost USD 170,000, Allah Ghazanfar USD 150,000 through another RTM, and Jonny Bairstow arrived at his USD 80,000 base price, the bargain of their auction.
Around those buys sits the strongest retained core in the tournament: Nicholas Pooran, who captains the side under coach Mark Boucher, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford. Pooran and Rashid alone would headline most squads in this league.
The risk: zero purse left. One injury to a headline player and MI cannot buy a like for like replacement. They lost last season’s final to the Vipers, and this ranking says they start Season 5 as the team to beat anyway.
2. Desert Vipers: the champions, and the smartest spenders
The defending champions spent the least of the five verified teams, USD 1,544,000, and kept USD 456,000 back, the biggest reserve in the league. What they bought with it is the story of the auction: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, four Pakistan internationals, for USD 80,000 each. Babar alone, the leading run-scorer in men’s T20 international history, went for less than a quarter of Farooqi’s fee. Our auction bargains ranking has the full value case.
David Payne, kept through an RTM at USD 150,000, was their most expensive buy after taking 3 wickets in the final. The pre-auction core of Andries Gous, Shimron Hetmyer, Dan Lawrence and Mujeeb ur Rahman stayed intact, and when Aneurin Donald was called up by England in October, Hassan Nawaz was signed as his replacement without touching the auction budget.
The risk: Sam Curran and Lockie Ferguson, who led the title run, are gone, and the franchise has still not named a Season 5 captain. The squad is deep enough. The leadership question is the one thing money did not solve.
3. Dubai Capitals: the most balanced spend
The Capitals have never missed the playoffs in four seasons, and this squad looks built to keep that run going. Faf du Plessis at USD 300,000 is their headline buy, with Max Holden and Dasun Shanaka at USD 100,000 each, Aayan Khan at USD 95,000 and Phil Salt at his USD 80,000 base price, another quiet bargain. Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Rovman Powell were retained or signed directly, so the USD 1,834,000 spend understates the strength of the full squad.
The risk: the top order leans on du Plessis, who is 42, and Salt for fast starts. If both have quiet seasons, the middle order of Powell and Shanaka carries a heavy load. On balance, though, no team in the bottom half of the spend table is this complete, and USD 166,000 remains for a replacement.
4. Gulf Giants: the best batting, the thinnest bench
Nobody can match the Giants’ top order. Liam Livingstone cost USD 350,000, Rahmanullah Gurbaz USD 310,000 through an RTM, and Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller were already in place before the auction. Alzarri Joseph (USD 230,000) and Shamar Joseph (USD 80,000) give them genuine pace, and Tabraiz Shamsi at USD 40,000 is proven wrist spin at a discount.
The problem is what the USD 1,972,000 spend leaves behind: USD 28,000 of purse and a long tail of USD 10,000 signings behind the stars. The first XI can beat anyone. Two injuries and the Giants are fielding the weakest bench in this ranking. First champions in 2023, they are the highest variance team of Season 5.
5. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: solid everywhere, spectacular nowhere
The Knight Riders kept Sunil Narine, Jason Holder and Finn Allen before the auction, then spent carefully: Alishan Sharafu through an RTM at USD 110,000, USA’s Amshi De Silva at USD 100,000, and two World Cup winners at base price, Moeen Ali at USD 80,000 and Andre Fletcher at USD 40,000, one season after Fletcher set the auction record at USD 260,000.
It adds up to a deep, experienced squad with USD 451,000 still in the purse, the second biggest reserve. What it does not have is a top three auction buy: no Farooqi, no Livingstone, no Faf. The Knight Riders look like a playoff contender built to be consistent rather than feared.
6. Sharjah Warriorz: the value pick with a question mark
The Warriorz may prove this ranking wrong. Sikandar Raza, James Vince and Adam Milne were retained, Richard Gleeson cost USD 180,000, Mohammad Nabi USD 140,000, and then the bargains stacked up: Adil Rashid, Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Brandon McMullen at USD 80,000 each. Rashid at base price, a two time World Cup winner leading the spin attack, is one of the best value buys of the whole auction.
They rank sixth for two reasons. The batting depends heavily on Vince, Banton and Raza without a proven finisher behind them, and their reported auction total is the one figure in this article we could not verify, with sources USD 72,000 apart. A team this well bought at spin and pace will win games in Sharjah. Whether it wins enough of them is the open question of the season.
The verdict: the strongest ILT20 2026 squad
MI Emirates have the strongest squad on paper. The Vipers have the best combination of a title winning core, value signings and money left to fix problems, which is why the gap between first and second is smaller than the USD 456,000 difference in their spending. The league has had four different champions in four seasons, so Season 5 also carries a first: no team has ever defended this title. The Vipers start their defence against MI Emirates in Dubai on 21 November. Every fixture is on our ILT20 2026 schedule page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the strongest ILT20 team in 2026?
MI Emirates, on squad depth. They spent the full USD 2 million purse on a group built around Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan and record signing Fazalhaq Farooqi at USD 380,000, with no weak department. The defending champion Desert Vipers are a close second.
Which team spent the most at the ILT20 2026 auction?
MI Emirates, the full USD 2,000,000 purse. Gulf Giants were next at USD 1,972,000, then Dubai Capitals at USD 1,834,000, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at USD 1,549,000 and Desert Vipers at USD 1,544,000 (Times of India; IANS).
Which team has the most money left after the auction?
Desert Vipers, with USD 456,000 of their purse unspent. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders kept USD 451,000. MI Emirates spent everything and have nothing left for replacements.
Who was the most expensive player at the ILT20 Season 5 auction?
Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan, bought by MI Emirates for USD 380,000, a new league record. Liam Livingstone (Gulf Giants, USD 350,000) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Gulf Giants, USD 310,000 through a right to match card) were next.
Why is Sharjah Warriorz’s spending not in the table?
Because the published totals conflict. The Times of India reported USD 1,720,000 and Al Etihad reported USD 1,792,000 for the same auction. We rank the Warriorz on their squad and will add their figure when a total is confirmed.
Has any team won back to back ILT20 titles?
No. The league has had four champions in four seasons: Gulf Giants (2023), MI Emirates (2024), Dubai Capitals (2025) and Desert Vipers (2026). The Vipers are the first side to attempt a defence with a realistic chance of completing it.
