Dubai, Oct 1 (IANS) Big bucks and blockbuster bids lit up the ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction, with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Liam Livingstone, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Faf du Plessis among those shattering the record of USD 260,000 set by Andre Fletcher and MI Emirates in Season 4.
Farooqi led the way as MI Emirates splashed USD 380,000 on the Afghanistan star, followed by England’s Livingstone at USD 350,000 with Gulf Giants. Gurbaz fetched USD 310,000 through the Giants’ Right-to-Match option, while Faf du Plessis joined Dubai Capitals for USD 300,000.
Adding to the star-studded atmosphere, ILT20 Season 5 ambassador Brett Lee was joined at the auction by cricketing greats AB de Villiers, Allan Donald, Shoaib Malik and Usman Khawaja.
Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman made their way to the Desert Vipers, with all four Pakistan stars secured at their USD 80,000 base price. Babar will make his DP World ILT20 debut in Season 5, while Naseem and Fakhar return to the defending champions for another campaign.
The six franchises showed immense faith in UAE players, led by Muhammad Waseem, who became the highest-priced UAE player in DP World ILT20 history after MI Emirates used their Right-to-Match option to secure him for USD 210,000. Alishan Sharafu followed at USD 110,000 with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
Muhammad Rohid and Aayan Khan both commanded USD 95,000 deals with the Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals, respectively. Khuzaima Bin Tanveer was secured by Desert Vipers for USD 75,000 through RTM, with Vriitya Aravind joining the Vipers for USD 70,000.
Talent from Associate Member Nations also made a statement. USA’s Amshi De Silva joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for USD 100,000, while fellow USA all-rounder Hassan Khan was secured by Dubai Capitals for USD 90,000. Scotland’s Brandon McMullen was picked up by Sharjah Warriorz for USD 80,000, while Namibia’s David Wiese joined Gulf Giants for USD 70,000.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders further splashed out on English all-rounder Moeen Ali, securing the southpaw for USD 80,000. Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib (USD 75,000) and Arab Gul (USD 80,000) lead the Afghanistan contingent, while West Indies’ Andre Fletcher and New Zealand’s Colin Munro were both signed for USD 40,000. Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Mannan Ali also joined the Knight Riders, while Kuwait’s Ravija Sandaruwan was bought at his base price of USD 10,000.
Desert Vipers prioritised retaining their winning combination, exercising their Right-to-Match option for David Payne at USD 150,000. They also secured England’s Aneurin Donald and wicketkeeper-batter Joe Clarke for USD 40,000 each. Saudi Arabia’s Ishtiaq Ahmed was secured for USD 12,000, while Bilal Tahir of Kuwait was retained at USD 10,000.
The Dubai Capitals used their Right to Match option on all-rounder Dasun Shanaka at USD 100,000. They further bolstered their batting stocks with Max Holden at USD 100,000 and the dangerous English opener Phil Salt at his base price of USD 80,000.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Sediqullah Atal and Karim Janat were roped in at USD 70,000 and USD 40,000 respectively. Kuwait’s Anudeep Chenthamara and Saudi Arabia’s Usman Najeeb were both secured for USD 10,000.
After making their intent clear with Livingstone and Gurbaz, the Giants continued to invest heavily, bringing in West Indies pacers Alzarri Joseph for USD 230,000 and Shamar Joseph for USD 80,000.
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran also joined for USD 65,000, while Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher was secured for USD 22,000. Saudi Arabia’s Imtiaz Khan joined for USD 10,000, while the Giants deployed a Right-to-Match option on Kuwait’s Meet Bhavsar at the same price.
MI Emirates made moves in the accelerated rounds, going for Chris Jordan at USD 170,000 and South Africa’s Lizaad Williams at USD 110,000. The Season 4 finalists also retained Afghanistan’s Allah Ghazanfar through their Right-to-Match option for USD 150,000.
They also secured England’s James Coles for USD 100,000 and Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera for USD 40,000. Saudi Arabia’s Zain Ul Abidin and Kuwait’s Mohammad Shafeeq were both signed for USD 10,000
The Warriorz strengthened their squad with a strong English core, securing Richard Gleeson for USD 180,000, Paul Walter for USD 110,000, and Tom Banton, Craig Overton and Adil Rashid at their USD 80,000 base price. Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi was acquired for USD 140,000, while South Africa’s George Linde and UAE all-rounder Ali Naseer joined for USD 40,000 each. Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Saqib and Kuwait’s Arunraj Selvaraj completed the haul at USD 10,000 apiece.
Complete squad list:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders — Total Spent: USD 1,549,000
Auction Signings: Alishan Sharafu (USD 110,000), Amshi De Silva (USD 100,000), Muhammad Rohid (USD 95,000), Moeen Ali (USD 80,000), Arab Gul (USD 80,000), Usman Tariq (USD 80,000), Gulbadin Naib (USD 75,000), Ibrar Ahmed (USD 46,000), Andre Fletcher (USD 40,000), Ajay Kumar (USD 40,000), Colin Munro (USD 40,000), Michael Pepper (USD 40,000), Qais Ahmad (USD 38,000), Jakeem Pollard (USD 10,000), Abdul Mannan Ali (USD 10,000), Ravija Sandaruwan (USD 10,000), Abdullah Tarakhail (USD 10,000), Lorcan Tucker (USD 10,000)
Retentions + Direct Signings: Finn Allen, Jason Holder, Matthew Tromp, Sunil Narine
Desert Vipers — Total Spent: USD 1,544,000
Auction Signings: David Payne (USD 150,000), Fakhar Zaman (USD 80,000), Naseem Shah (USD 80,000), Babar Azam (USD 80,000), Shadab Khan (USD 80,000), Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (USD 75,000), Vriitya Aravind (USD 70,000), Aneurin Donald (USD 40,000), Abdullah Ahmadzai (USD 40,000), Joe Clarke (USD 40,000), Nangeyalia Kharote (USD 28,000), Sanjay Pahal (USD 22,000), Harry Tector (USD 12,000), Ishtiaq Ahmed (USD 12,000), Nilansh Keswani (USD 10,000), Saleem Safi (USD 10,000), Bilal Tahir (USD 10,000), Wali Muhammad (USD 10,000)
Retentions + Direct Signings: Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Shimron Hetmyer
Dubai Capitals — Total Spent: USD 1,834,000
Auction Signings: Faf du Plessis (USD 300,000), Max Holden (USD 100,000), Dasun Shanaka (USD 100,000), Aayan Khan (USD 95,000), Hassan Khan (USD 90,000), Phil Salt (USD 80,000), Sediqullah Atal (USD 70,000), Mark Adair (USD 55,000), Karim Janat (USD 40,000), Luke Wood (USD 40,000), Tom Moores (USD 40,000), Haider Ali (USD 38,000), Zuhaib Zubair (USD 26,000), Darwish Rasooli (USD 10,000), Muhammad Arfan (USD 10,000), Matt Potts (USD 10,000), Usman Najeeb (USD 10,000), Anudeep Chenthamara (USD 10,000), Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz (USD 10,000)
Retentions + Direct Signings: Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rovman Powell
Gulf Giants — Total Spent: USD 1,972,000
Auction Signings: Liam Livingstone (USD 350,000), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (USD 310,000), Alzarri Joseph (USD 230,000), Shamar Joseph (USD 80,000), David Wiese (USD 70,000), Ibrahim Zadran (USD 65,000), Tabraiz Shamsi (USD 40,000), Curtis Campher (USD 22,000), Dhruv Parashar (USD 10,000), Matiullah Khan (USD 10,000), Haider Razzaq (USD 10,000), Imran Mir (USD 10,000), Imtiaz Khan (USD 10,000), Meet Bhavsar (USD 10,000), Shubham Ranjane (USD 10,000), Wahidullah Zadran (USD 10,000), Awais Ahmed (USD 10,000), Sagar Kalyan (USD 10,000), Alick Athanaze (USD 10,000)
Retentions + Direct Signings: Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen
MI Emirates — Total Spent: USD 2,000,000
Auction Signings: Fazalhaq Farooqi (USD 380,000), Muhammad Waseem (USD 210,000), Chris Jordan (USD 170,000), Allah Ghazanfar (USD 150,000), Lizaad Williams (USD 110,000), James Coles (USD 100,000), Jonny Bairstow (USD 80,000), Kusal Perera (USD 40,000), Jordan Thompson (USD 40,000), Zahoor Khan (USD 30,000), Wasim Akram (USD 10,000), Zain Ul Abidin (USD 10,000), Muhammad Shafeeq (USD 10,000), Asa Tribe (USD 10,000), Raizal Nadir Nather Shah (USD 10,000), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (USD 10,000), Faridoon Dawoodzai(USD 10,000), Ross Adair (USD 10,000)
Retentions + Direct Signings: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford
Sharjah Warriorz — Total Spent: USD 1,792,000
Auction Signings: Richard Gleeson (USD 180,000), Mohammad Nabi (USD 140,000), Paul Walter (USD 110,000), Adil Rashid (USD 80,000), Brandon McMullen (USD 80,000), Tom Banton (USD 80,000), Craig Overton (USD 80,000), George Linde (USD 40,000), Ali Aamer Naseer (USD 40,000), Fareed Malik (USD 40,000), Sharafuddin Ashraf (USD 40,000), Logan van Beek (USD 40,000), Junaid Siddique (USD 10,000), Tanish Suri (USD 10,000), Nabeel Aziz (USD 10,000), George Dockrell (USD 10,000), Mohammad Saqib (USD 10,000), Arunraj Selvaraj (USD 10,000), James Rew (USD 10,000)
–IANS
bsk/