The International League T20 (ILT20) Season 5 Player Auction will be held on Thursday, October 1, in Dubai, with more than 200 players from 23 countries set to go under the hammer. The auction pool features some of the biggest names in T20 cricket, including Babar Azam, Phil Salt, Tom Banton, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wanindu Hasaranga, Alzarri Joseph, Faf du Plessis and Liam Livingstone.The six franchises will enter the auction with purses ranging from $1.3 million to $1.39 million, while they must build squads of between 18 and 23 players.Here is everything you need to know about the ILT20 Season 5 auction:Q. When and where is the ILT20 Season 5 auction?The auction will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the ICC Academy Indoors in Dubai.Q. How many players are in the auction?More than 200 players from 23 countries have registered for the auction.The player pool includes cricketers from 11 ICC Full Member nations, as well as ILT20 partner nations Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and 10 other ICC Associate Member nations.Q. What are the player price categories?Players have been placed in three base-price categories:The $80,000 bracket features several established T20 names, including Babar Azam, Phil Salt, Tom Banton, David Willey, Fakhar Zaman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Alzarri Joseph, Wanindu Hasaranga, Faf du Plessis, Alex Hales, Naseem Shah, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Chris Woakes.The $40,000 category includes Jayden Seales, Ibrahim Zadran, Shadab Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Gulbadin Naib, Chris Green and Andre Fletcher.The $10,000 bracket features players such as Will Smeed, Lorcan Tucker, Reeza Hendricks, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ish Sodhi, George Munsey, Matt Potts, Bas de Leede and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.Q. How the $10,000 category could be decisive in shaping the squads?The lowest base-price category could play an important role in squad building, particularly because franchises have significant roster requirements to fulfil.All players from UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will enter the auction at a base price of $10,000.
ILT20 Season 4 Player Auction (ILT20 Photo)
Q. Why are UAE players expected to attract attention?UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia players could not be retained by franchises under the Season 5 recruitment rules.That means several established Gulf-region players will return to the auction pool, including UAE internationals Muhammad Waseem, Junaid Siddique, Haider Ali, Ayan Afzal Khan, Alishan Sharafu and Khuzaima Tanveer.Franchises will also have the option of using one Right to Match (RTM) on a UAE player who either represented them in Season 4 or played for them in the recently concluded ILT20 Development Tournament.Q. How much money does each franchise have to spend?Each team receives a base auction purse of $1.3 million, with any remaining money from the $700,000 allocated for pre-auction signings added to that purse.The available purses are:
- MI Emirates: $1.39m
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: $1.365m
- Desert Vipers: $1.305m
- Gulf Giants: $1.305m
- Dubai Capitals: $1.30m
- Sharjah Warriorz: $1.30m
Q. What are the squad-size requirements?Every franchise must finish the auction with a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players.Each squad must contain:
- At least 11 players from ICC Full Member countries
- At least four Afghanistan players
- At least one Ireland player
- At least four UAE players
- At least one Kuwait player
- At least one Saudi Arabia player
- At least one additional ICC Associate player, excluding UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
UAE players have entered the ILT20 Auction at a base price of $10,000.
Q. How much must franchises spend?Each team must spend at least $1.5 million and no more than $2 million on its squad.After the auction, franchises can sign one Wildcard player for an additional maximum fee of $250,000.Q. What are the playing XI requirements?Every playing XI in Season 5 must include:
- At least two UAE players
- At least two Afghanistan players
- At least one additional Associate Member player
The additional Associate slot can be filled by a third UAE player or a player from another Associate nation, including Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.Q. What happens if a player withdraws from the auction?All replacement players must have registered for the Season 5 auction.Any player who withdraws from the auction on or before October 1 will not be eligible to participate in Season 5 either as a replacement player or as a Wildcard signing.
Info of ILT20 auction ahead of fifth season.
Q. What are the six franchises taking into the auction?Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: $1.365mCurrent squad: Finn Allen, Jason Holder, Matthew Tromp, Sunil Narine.They still need to acquire four UAE players, eight Full Member players, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.Desert Vipers: $1.305mCurrent squad: Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Shimron Hetmyer.They still need four UAE players, eight Full Member players, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.Dubai Capitals: $1.30mCurrent squad: Marcus Stoinis, Mustafizur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Rovman Powell.They still need four UAE players, seven Full Member players, one Associate player, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.Gulf Giants: $1.305mCurrent squad: Azmatullah Omarzai, Blessing Muzarabani, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen.They still need four UAE players, seven Full Member players, one Associate player, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.MI Emirates: $1.39mCurrent squad: Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford.They still need four UAE players, seven Full Member players, one Associate player, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.Sharjah Warriorz: $1.30mCurrent squad: Adam Milne, James Vince, Waqar Salamkheil, Sikandar Raza.They still need four UAE players, seven Full Member players, one Associate player, one Kuwait player and one Saudi Arabia player.Q. Where to live stream the auction?The Season 5 Player Auction will be streamed live on the official ILT20 YouTube channel. In India, the live stream will also be available on Zee5.Q. When will ILT20 Season 5 be played?The fifth season of the ILT20 will run from November 21 to December 20, 2026.The tournament will be played across three venues:
- Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
- Dubai International Stadium
- Sharjah Cricket Stadium
