The DP World International League T20 Season 5 auction delivered a dramatic day of big-money bidding and surprise outcomes as the six franchises completed the final phase of their squad-building in Dubai on October 1, 2026. Held at the ICC Academy Indoors, the auction featured more than 200 shortlisted players from 23 countries, with several of the biggest names in T20 cricket going under the hammer.
Afghanistan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi emerged as the biggest buy of the auction, with MI Emirates securing his services for USD 380,000. The deal made Farooqi the most expensive player in ILT20 auction history and marked the third time during the auction that the record price had been broken. Farooqi will continue with MI Emirates for a fifth consecutive season.
Livingstone, Gurbaz and Faf also attract big bids
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was the second-highest purchase, joining Gulf Giants for USD 350,000. The Giants also used their Right-to-Match option to retain Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for USD 310,000.
Before Farooqi’s record-setting purchase, Faf du Plessis had briefly become the auction’s most expensive player after Dubai Capitals bought the South African batter for USD 300,000. West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph also commanded a substantial USD 230,000 bid from Gulf Giants.
One of the biggest talking points, however, was Babar Azam’s move to Desert Vipers. The Pakistan star, entering the ILT20 auction for the first time, was bought for his base price of USD 80,000. His inclusion adds another major international name to the defending champions’ squad. Other notable purchases included Allah Ghazanfar for USD 150,000, Mohammad Nabi for USD 140,000 and Dasun Shanaka for USD 100,000.
The auction followed ILT20’s squad and nationality regulations, with franchises building squads of 18 to 23 players. Matchday XIs must include at least two UAE players, two Afghanistan players and one additional Associate player. Season 5 is scheduled to run from November 21 to December 20, with matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
Complete ILT20 Season 5 squads after the auction:
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Finn Allen, Jason Holder, Matthew Tromp, Sunil Narine, Muhammad Rohid, Alishan Sharafu, Ibrar Ahmed, Ajay Kumar, Moeen Ali, Andre Fletcher, Jakeem Pollard, Gulbadin Naib, Colin Munro, Amshi de Silva, Abdul Mannan Ali, Michael Pepper, Lorcan Tucker, Usman Tariq, Qais Ahmad, Abdullah Tarakhail and Ravija Sandaruwan.
Desert Vipers
Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Shimron Hetmyer, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Vriitya Aravind, Nilansh Keswani, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Aneurin Donald, David Payne, Nangeyalia Kharote, Sanjay Pahal, Harry Tector, Joe Clarke, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Shadab Khan, Bilal Tahir, Ishtiaq Ahmed and Wali Muhammad.
Dubai Capitals
Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rovman Powell, Zuhaib Zubair, Aayan Khan, Haider Ali, Faf du Plessis, Dasun Shanaka, Phil Salt, Max Holden, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Karim Janat, Mark Adair, Muhammad Arfan, Matthew Potts, Hassan Khan, Anudeep Chenthamara, Usman Najeeb, Tom Moores, Luke Wood and Masood ul Rahman Gurbaz.
Gulf Giants
Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Matiullah Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Liam Livingstone, Curtis Campher, Haider Razzaq, Shamar Joseph, Imran Mir, Alzarri Joseph, David Wiese, Shubham Ranjane, Meet Bhavsar, Imtiaz Khan, Alick Athanaze, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sagar Kalyan, Awais Ahmad and Wahidullah Zadran.
MI Emirates
Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford, Muhammad Waseem, Zahoor Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Waseem Akram, Allah Ghazanfar, Asa Tribe, Mohammad Shafeeq, Zain ul Abidin, Chris Jordan, James Coles, Lizaad Williams, Jordon Thompson, Ross Adair, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Raizal Nadir Nather Shah and Jonny Bairstow.
Sharjah Warriorz
Adam Milne, James Vince, Waqar Salamkheil, Sikandar Raza, Tanish Suri, Junaid Siddique, Ali Aamer Naseer, Adil Rashid, Mohammad Nabi, Richard Gleeson, George Linde, Paul Walter, Nabeel Aziz, George Dockrell, Brandon McMullen, Arunraj Selvaraj, Mohammad Saqib, Craig Overton, James Rew, Tom Banton, Logan van Beek, Sarafuddin Ashraf and Fareed Malik.
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