Dubai, UAE – Cricket fans are in for an exciting twist in the International League T20 (ILT20) as the league gears up for its first-ever Player Auction on October 1. This big event will help all six franchises lock in their squads for season 4, kicking off on December 2 – UAE National Day, or Eid Al-Etihad – and wrapping up with the final on January 4, 2026.
Each team starts with at least $800,000 in their auction purse, plus any leftover cash from the $1.2 million they got for direct signings and player retentions back in July. By the end of the auction, franchises must spend between $1.5 million and $2 million to build strong lineups. After that, they can still snag up to two wildcard players for a combined $250,000.
Teams aim to assemble squads of 19 to 21 players – not counting wildcards – with at least 11 coming from ICC Full Member countries. They also need to include four players from the UAE, one from Kuwait, one from Saudi Arabia, and two from other ICC Associate Nations. Base prices for players sit at $10,000, $40,000, or $80,000, and the full list pulls from registrations made between July and September.
The auction keeps things dynamic by grouping players by their status and skills, starting with those from Full Member nations. Within each group, the auctioneer randomly selects names and kicks off bidding at the base price. If some players don’t get picked right away, they can jump back into the mix during fast-paced Accelerated Rounds, giving teams another shot at them.
Franchises get one extra perk: a Right-to-Match (RTM) card they can use just once on a UAE player who was in their season 3 squad or part of the recent Development Tournament. This ILT20 Player Auction promises to shake up the UAE cricket scene and set the stage for an action-packed season.
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