Babar Azam Headlines Pakistan Contingent for ILT20 Season 5
Babar Azam is among 17 Pakistan cricketers who have registered for the International League T20 (ILT20) Season 5 player auction, which is scheduled to take place on October 1 at the ICC Academy Indoors in Dubai. The upcoming auction has attracted more than 200 players from 23 countries, bringing several prominent international names into the player pool for the fifth edition of the UAE-based franchise competition.
The Pakistan contingent includes several established international players as well as emerging T20 talent. Alongside Babar Azam, the registered group includes Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Hassan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Khushdil Shah, Maaz Sadaqat and Sahibzada Farhan, with additional Pakistan players completing the 17-member group.
Babar, Fakhar, Naseem, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq have been placed in the highest base-price category of USD 80,000. Other players have been divided into USD 40,000 and USD 10,000 brackets. The base price represents the opening level for bidding and does not necessarily determine the final amount a player could receive if selected by a franchise.
Babar’s registration is particularly notable because it would mark his entry into the ILT20 player auction pool. The former Pakistan white-ball captain is one of the most recognizable names in the competition’s auction list, which also features players such as Phil Salt, Tom Banton, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Faf du Plessis and Wanindu Hasaranga.
The six ILT20 franchises will enter the auction with varying available purses. MI Emirates have the largest reported purse at USD 1.39 million, followed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at USD 1.365 million. Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants have USD 1.305 million each, while Dubai Capitals and Sharjah Warriorz have USD 1.3 million each.
ILT20 Season 5 is scheduled to take place in the UAE from November 22 to December 20. Each franchise must build a squad of between 18 and 23 players while meeting specific composition requirements involving ICC Full Members, Afghanistan, Ireland, UAE and associate nations. The auction will therefore be an important stage in determining where the registered Pakistan players could feature during the upcoming season.
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