The DP World ILT20 held its Season 5 player auction in Dubai on 1 October 2026, setting the squads for the 2026-27 edition that begins on 22 November. Around 400 players registered, and the six franchises spent across a fast-moving auction led by MI Emirates, who paid USD 380,000 for Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, the top buy of the day. Big names such as Faf du Plessis, Liam Livingstone and Babar Azam found homes, while several internationals went unsold.
ILT20 2026 Auction Highlights
Fazalhaq Farooqi was the most expensive signing at USD 380,000, ahead of Liam Livingstone and Rahmanullah Gurbaz at Gulf Giants. Marquee names moved across all six squads, though a handful of well-known players found no takers. The top buys of the auction are listed below.
Top Players Sold
| # | Player | Team | Sold For (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | MI Emirates | 380,000 |
| 2 | Liam Livingstone | Gulf Giants | 350,000 |
| 3 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (RTM) | Gulf Giants | 310,000 |
| 4 | Faf du Plessis | Dubai Capitals | 300,000 |
| 5 | Alzarri Joseph | Gulf Giants | 230,000 |
| 6 | Muhammad Waseem (RTM) | MI Emirates | 210,000 |
| 7 | Richard Gleeson | Sharjah Warriorz | 180,000 |
| 8 | Chris Jordan | MI Emirates | 170,000 |
| 9 | Allah Ghazanfar (RTM) | MI Emirates | 150,000 |
| 10 | David Payne | Desert Vipers | 150,000 |
| 11 | Mohammad Nabi | Sharjah Warriorz | 140,000 |
| 12 | Alishan Sharafu (RTM) | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 110,000 |
| 13 | Lizaad Williams | MI Emirates | 110,000 |
| 14 | Paul Walter | Sharjah Warriorz | 110,000 |
| 15 | Amshi de Silva | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 100,000 |
| 16 | Dasun Shanaka | Dubai Capitals | 100,000 |
| 17 | Max Holden | Dubai Capitals | 100,000 |
| 18 | James Coles | MI Emirates | 100,000 |
| 19 | Muhammad Rohid | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 95,000 |
| 20 | Aayan Khan | Dubai Capitals | 95,000 |
Notable Unsold Players
| Unsold Player | Country |
|---|---|
| Imran Tahir | South Africa |
| Chris Woakes | England |
| Jason Roy | England |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka |
| Rassie van der Dussen | South Africa |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Sri Lanka |
| Tymal Mills | England |
| Ollie Stone | England |
ILT20 2026 Finalised Teams and Squads
All six franchises completed their squads through pre-signings and the auction. Each team’s full group and player roles are set out below.
1. MI Emirates (USD 0 left, full purse spent)
MI Emirates landed the most expensive buy of the auction in Fazalhaq Farooqi at USD 380,000 and built around a pre-signed core of Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford. They added experience with Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera and Chris Jordan, and spent their entire purse to finish with a bowling-rich, balanced squad.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Pooran | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Jonny Bairstow | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Kusal Perera | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Muhammad Waseem | Batter |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Batter |
| Ross Adair | Batter |
| Asa Tribe | Batter |
| Rashid Khan | Bowler |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Bowler |
| Chris Jordan | Bowler |
| Lizaad Williams | Bowler |
| Allah Ghazanfar | Bowler |
| Romario Shepherd | All-Rounder |
| James Coles | All-Rounder |
| Jordon Thompson | All-Rounder |
| Zahoor Khan | Bowler |
| Wasim Akram | All-Rounder |
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | Batter |
| Faridoon Dawoodzai | Bowler |
| Raizal Nadir Nather Shah | All-Rounder |
| Zain ul Abidin | Batter |
| Mohammad Shafeeq | Bowler |
2. Gulf Giants (USD 28,000 remaining)
Gulf Giants were among the busiest teams, signing Liam Livingstone for USD 350,000 and using Right to Match to keep Rahmanullah Gurbaz for USD 310,000. Alzarri Joseph added pace at USD 230,000, and pre-signings Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Azmatullah Omarzai give the batting serious firepower. They had just USD 28,000 left after the auction.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Heinrich Klaasen | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| David Miller | Batter |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Batter |
| Alick Athanaze | Batter |
| Colin Munro | Batter |
| Shubham Ranjane | Batter |
| Alzarri Joseph | Bowler |
| Shamar Joseph | Bowler |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | Bowler |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Bowler |
| Liam Livingstone | All-Rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | All-Rounder |
| David Wiese | All-Rounder |
| Curtis Campher | All-Rounder |
| Wahidullah Zadran | Batter |
| Sagar Kalyan | All-Rounder |
| Awais Ahmad | Bowler |
| Haider Rarraq | Bowler |
| Imran Mir | Bowler |
| Meet Bhavsar | All-Rounder |
| Imtiaz Khan | Bowler |
| Matiullah Khan | Bowler |
| Dhruv Parashar | All-Rounder |
3. Desert Vipers (USD 456,000 remaining)
Desert Vipers assembled a Pakistan-heavy spine, adding Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan for USD 80,000 each. David Payne was their biggest buy at USD 150,000, and pre-signings Shimron Hetmyer, Dan Lawrence and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman round out a varied group. They held back the most money of any team, leaving USD 456,000 unspent.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Andries Gous | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Vriitya Aravind | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Joe Clarke | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Babar Azam | Batter |
| Fakhar Zaman | Batter |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batter |
| Dan Lawrence | Batter |
| Aneurin Donald | Batter |
| Harry Tector | Batter |
| Naseem Shah | Bowler |
| David Payne | Bowler |
| Mujeeb-ur-Rahman | Bowler |
| Nangeyalia Kharote | Bowler |
| Shadab Khan | All-Rounder |
| Khuzaima Bin Tanveer | Bowler |
| Abdullah Ahmadzai | Bowler |
| Sanjay Pahal | All-Rounder |
| Saleem Safi | Bowler |
| Nilansh Keswani | Batter |
| Wali Muhammad | Bowler |
| Bilal Tahir | Bowler |
| Ishtiaq Ahmed | Bowler |
4. Dubai Capitals (USD 266,000 remaining)
Dubai Capitals brought in Faf du Plessis as a marquee pick at USD 300,000 and paired him with Phil Salt, Max Holden and Dasun Shanaka. Pre-signings Marcus Stoinis, Rovman Powell, Noor Ahmad and Mustafizur Rahman give the side a strong all-round base. UAE talent Aayan Khan was a notable buy at USD 95,000, and the Capitals finished with USD 266,000 to spare.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Phil Salt | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Tom Moores | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Masood ul Rahman Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Faf du Plessis | Batter |
| Rovman Powell | Batter |
| Max Holden | Batter |
| Sediqullah Atal | Batter |
| Haider Ali | Batter |
| Darwish Rasooli | Batter |
| Zuhaib Zubair | Batter |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bowler |
| Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| Luke Wood | Bowler |
| Matthew Potts | Bowler |
| Muhammad Arfan | Bowler |
| Usman Najeeb | Bowler |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-Rounder |
| Dasun Shanaka | All-Rounder |
| Hassan Khan | All-Rounder |
| Mark Adair | All-Rounder |
| Karim Janat | All-Rounder |
| Aayan Khan | All-Rounder |
| Anudeep Chenthamara | All-Rounder |
5. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (USD 451,000 remaining)
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders kept their spin-and-power identity with pre-signings Sunil Narine, Jason Holder and Finn Allen, then added Moeen Ali, Gulbadin Naib and, via Right to Match, UAE batter Alishan Sharafu. Amshi de Silva and Muhammad Rohid were their biggest auction buys, and the side left USD 451,000 unspent, the second-most of any team.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Finn Allen | Batter |
| Alishan Sharafu | Batter |
| Colin Munro | Batter |
| Michael Pepper | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Andre Fletcher | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Lorcan Tucker | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Matthew Tromp | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Sunil Narine | All-Rounder |
| Jason Holder | All-Rounder |
| Moeen Ali | All-Rounder |
| Gulbadin Naib | All-Rounder |
| Qais Ahmad | Bowler |
| Usman Tariq | Bowler |
| Amshi de Silva | All-Rounder |
| Muhammad Rohid | All-Rounder |
| Arab Gul | All-Rounder |
| Ibrar Ahmad | Bowler |
| Ajay Kumar | Bowler |
| Jakeem Pollard | All-Rounder |
| Abdul Mannan Ali | Bowler |
| Ravija Sandaruwan | All-Rounder |
6. Sharjah Warriorz (USD 280,000 remaining)
Sharjah Warriorz leaned on experience, pre-signing Sikandar Raza, James Vince, Adam Milne and Waqar Salamkheil, then adding Richard Gleeson at USD 180,000 and Mohammad Nabi at USD 140,000. Tom Banton, Adil Rashid and Craig Overton strengthen a deep all-round group, and the Warriorz finished with USD 280,000 remaining.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Banton | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| James Rew | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Tanish Suri | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| James Vince | Batter |
| Richard Gleeson | Bowler |
| Adam Milne | Bowler |
| Adil Rashid | Bowler |
| Waqar Salamkheil | Bowler |
| Sikandar Raza | All-Rounder |
| Mohammad Nabi | All-Rounder |
| Paul Walter | All-Rounder |
| Craig Overton | All-Rounder |
| Brandon McMullen | All-Rounder |
| George Linde | All-Rounder |
| George Dockrell | All-Rounder |
| Logan van Beek | All-Rounder |
| Sarafuddin Ashraf | All-Rounder |
| Fareed Malik | Bowler |
| Ali Aamer Naseer | Bowler |
| Junaid Siddique | Bowler |
| Mohammad Saqib | Bowler |
| Arunraj Selvaraj | Bowler |
| Nabeel Aziz | Bowler |
Verdict: ILT20 2026 Teams Are Finalised After the Auction
With the Season 5 auction complete, all six ILT20 franchises have their squads in place for the 2026-27 tournament. MI Emirates spent the most to land Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulf Giants and Dubai Capitals added marquee overseas names, and Desert Vipers built a strong Pakistan core while keeping money in reserve. A few internationals went unsold, but each side now has a settled group to prepare with ahead of the 22 November start. Attention turns next to captaincy calls and final playing combinations.
