Babar Azam, Phil Salt and Gurbaz Headline Star-Studded ILT20 Auction Pool

The DP World International League T20 Season 5 auction is set to feature a strong collection of international T20 names, with Babar Azam, Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wanindu Hasaranga, Faf du Plessis and Liam Livingstone among the headline players.

The player auction will take place at the ICC Academy Indoors in Dubai on October 1, with more than 200 cricketers from 23 countries included in the final auction pool. The fifth season of the UAE-based competition is scheduled to run from November 21 to December 20, 2026.

Babar Azam Enters ILT20 Auction

Babar Azam is one of the biggest names in the auction pool and has registered for the ILT20 for the first time. The Pakistan batter is included in the highest base-price category of USD 80,000.

Babar is also one of 17 Pakistani players included in the auction list. Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, Hasan Ali and Sahibzada Farhan are among the other Pakistan players available to the six franchises.

Major T20 Names in the Top Price Bracket

The USD 80,000 base-price group contains a number of established international players. England's Phil Salt, Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Alex Hales and Chris Woakes are part of the highest bracket.

The list also includes Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga and Dasun Shanaka, South Africa's Faf du Plessis, West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed.

Several of these players featured in the previous ILT20 season. Salt represented Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Banton played for MI Emirates and Gurbaz was part of the Gulf Giants squad.

More Than 200 Players From 23 Countries

The auction pool brings together players from 11 ICC Full Member nations, along with cricketers from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and 10 additional Associate Member countries.

Players have been divided into three base-price categories of USD 80,000, USD 40,000 and USD 10,000. The middle bracket includes names such as Jayden Seales, Ibrahim Zadran, Shadab Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Avishka Fernando and Kusal Perera.

The lowest base-price category includes several emerging international and Associate players, while players from the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia enter at the USD 10,000 base price.

Murugan Ashwin the Only Indian Player

Murugan Ashwin is the only Indian cricketer included in the auction pool. The former Tamil Nadu leg-spinner is eligible because active Indian players are generally not permitted to participate in overseas franchise leagues.

His inclusion gives the 36-year-old another opportunity to enter an overseas T20 competition after a career that included appearances for several IPL franchises.

Franchises Enter Auction With Significant Purses

Each ILT20 franchise will begin the auction with a purse of USD 1.3 million, with teams also able to use any money remaining from their pre-auction signing allocation.

MI Emirates will have the largest available purse at USD 1.39 million, followed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders with USD 1.365 million. Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants have USD 1.305 million each, while Dubai Capitals and Sharjah Warriorz enter with USD 1.3 million.

Squad Rules Add Another Layer to the Auction

The six franchises must build squads containing between 18 and 23 players. There are also specific nationality requirements governing the composition of every squad.

Each team must have at least 11 players from ICC Full Member nations, including a minimum of four players from Afghanistan and at least one from Ireland. Squads must also include at least four UAE players, one player from Kuwait, one from Saudi Arabia and another player from an Associate nation outside those three countries.

Season 5 Set for November and December

The fifth ILT20 season is scheduled to begin on November 21 and conclude on December 20. Matches will be played across three UAE venues: Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The complete fixture list is yet to be announced, but the auction will determine the final shape of the six squads before the tournament begins.

International Stars Add Interest to Auction

With Babar entering the competition for the first time and a large group of established T20 players available, the October 1 auction will be an important stage in preparations for ILT20 Season 5.

The combination of experienced international players, emerging cricketers and strong UAE representation is expected to give the franchises a wide range of options as they complete their squads for the upcoming season.