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ILT20 Auction and Retention Analysis for Season 5
Last updated: 31 October 2026.
The ILT20 auction that matters for Season 5 was in Dubai on 1 October 2026. The headline fee was USD 380,000 for Fazalhaq Farooqi to MI Emirates. The auction page lists every price this desk will repeat. A missing price means it was not verified.
ILT20 Auction at a Glance
Cricbuzz reported, before the auction, that each franchise would enter with USD 1.3 million plus any remainder from a USD 700,000 pre-auction allocation. Squads had to land between 18 and 23 players in those briefings. Leftover money after the final bid is to be announced. The room was reported as Jumeirah on one page and the ICC Academy on another. The date is the solid part.
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 October 2026 |
| City | Dubai |
| Top cited fee | USD 380,000, Fazalhaq Farooqi, MI Emirates |
| Pre-auction names | David Miller, Finn Allen, Heinrich Klaasen, Marcus Stoinis |
| Leftover purse | To be announced |
ILT20 Retained Players by Team
Pre-auction signings announced on 11 August 2026 were David Miller, Finn Allen, Heinrich Klaasen, Marcus Stoinis. They are marked that way on the squad tables. A full retained-or-bought flag for every other name is not printed, because it was not verified player by player.
Biggest ILT20 Auction Signings
| Player | Team | Route | Reported fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | MI Emirates | Auction | USD 380,000 |
| Liam Livingstone | Gulf Giants | Auction | USD 350,000 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Gulf Giants | Right to match | USD 310,000 |
| Faf du Plessis | Dubai Capitals | Auction | USD 300,000 |
| Muhammad Waseem | MI Emirates | Right to match | USD 210,000 |
| Richard Gleeson | Sharjah Warriorz | Auction | USD 180,000 |
| David Payne | Desert Vipers | Auction | USD 150,000 |
| Mohammad Nabi | Sharjah Warriorz | Auction | USD 140,000 |
| Phil Salt | Dubai Capitals | Auction | USD 80,000 |
| Babar Azam | Desert Vipers | Auction | USD 80,000 |
| Naseem Shah | Desert Vipers | Auction | USD 80,000 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Desert Vipers | Auction | USD 80,000 |
| Shadab Khan | Desert Vipers | Auction | USD 80,000 |
Team-by-Team Auction Analysis
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Holder captains, Bravo coaches, and the side still has no ILT20 title after four seasons. Cited prices tied to this side: no cited price on this page. Captain Jason Holder. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
Desert Vipers
Defending champions, with Babar Azam taking the armband for his first ILT20 season. Cited prices tied to this side: David Payne, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan. Captain Babar Azam. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
Dubai Capitals
The 2025 champions rebuilt around Faf du Plessis, Phil Salt and a returning Marcus Stoinis. Cited prices tied to this side: Faf du Plessis, Phil Salt. Captain Faf du Plessis. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
Gulf Giants
The inaugural champions loaded the top order with Buttler, Klaasen, Miller and Livingstone. Cited prices tied to this side: Liam Livingstone, Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Captain Jos Buttler. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
MI Emirates
Runners-up in January, now coached by Mark Boucher and holders of the record auction bid. Cited prices tied to this side: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Muhammad Waseem. Captain Nicholas Pooran. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
Sharjah Warriorz
Vince keeps the captaincy. The attack includes Adil Rashid and last season's leading bowler award winner, Waqar Salamkheil. Cited prices tied to this side: Richard Gleeson, Mohammad Nabi. Captain James Vince. What is still missing is availability, not another rumour fee.
Auction Winners and Losers
MI bought a new ball. The Giants bought a middle-order hammer and kept a wicketkeeper. The Capitals bought a captain. The Vipers bought a Pakistan spine at the cited base and spent more on Payne. Sharjah bought Gleeson and Nabi. Knight Riders' famous names were already the August story. 'Winner' here means the squad question they answered, not a trophy.
What the ILT20 Auction Means for Season 5
The lists are set enough to argue about, with the usual injury-replacement caveat. They are not an XI. Farooqi bowling at his old side is a storyline because he took wickets in the Season 4 final while he was still with the Vipers.
Every cited fee, and only those
Fazalhaq Farooqi, bowler, MI Emirates. Reported USD 380,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Liam Livingstone, all-rounder, Gulf Giants. Reported USD 350,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, wicketkeeper, Gulf Giants. Reported USD 310,000 via right to match. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Faf du Plessis, batter, Dubai Capitals. Reported USD 300,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Muhammad Waseem, batter, MI Emirates. Reported USD 210,000 via right to match. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Richard Gleeson, bowler, Sharjah Warriorz. Reported USD 180,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
David Payne, bowler, Desert Vipers. Reported USD 150,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Mohammad Nabi, all-rounder, Sharjah Warriorz. Reported USD 140,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Phil Salt, wicketkeeper, Dubai Capitals. Reported USD 80,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Babar Azam, batter, Desert Vipers. Reported USD 80,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Naseem Shah, bowler, Desert Vipers. Reported USD 80,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Fakhar Zaman, batter, Desert Vipers. Reported USD 80,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Shadab Khan, all-rounder, Desert Vipers. Reported USD 80,000 via auction. The number is a squad fact. It is not an XI, and it is not a fantasy salary. If a social post names a different fee, it is not repeated here.
Pre-auction names announced on 11 August 2026 were David Miller, Finn Allen, Heinrich Klaasen, Marcus Stoinis. A retained-or-bought flag for every other player was not verified one by one, so it is not printed. Cricbuzz had briefed, before the auction, that each franchise would enter with USD 1.3 million plus any remainder from a USD 700,000 pre-auction allocation, and that squads had to land between 18 and 23. Leftover purses after the final bid are to be announced. Reports differ on the room, Jumeirah or the ICC Academy. The date, 1 October 2026 in Dubai, is the solid part.
That is the ILT20 auction as of 30 October 2026. If a fee you saw on social is not in the table, it is not on this site. See also the 2026 ILT20 season page.
ILT20 Auction FAQs
When was the ILT20 auction?
1 October 2026, in Dubai. Reports differ on the exact room. The date is the part that fixes the squads. Anything we could not confirm by 30 October 2026 is marked to be announced. We will update this answer, with a date, when a public source confirms more.
Who was the most expensive ILT20 player?
Fazalhaq Farooqi, a reported USD 380,000, signed by MI Emirates. That is the highest fee this desk will cite. Anything we could not confirm by 30 October 2026 is marked to be announced. We will update this answer, with a date, when a public source confirms more.
What was the squad size rule?
Pre-auction briefings said squads had to land between 18 and 23 players. The compiled lists on this site are the names published after the auction. Anything we could not confirm by 30 October 2026 is marked to be announced.
Which players were pre-auction signings?
David Miller, Finn Allen, Heinrich Klaasen and Marcus Stoinis, named by the league on 11 August 2026. Anything we could not confirm by 30 October 2026 is marked to be announced. We will update this answer, with a date, when a public source confirms more.
How much money was left after the auction?
To be announced. Secondary leftover figures were not re-checked against a league file, so they are not printed. Anything we could not confirm by 30 October 2026 is marked to be announced. We will update this answer, with a date, when a public source confirms more.