By Zainab Shafiq 
The fourth edition of ILT20 is scheduled to run from December 2, 2025 to January 4, 2026, hosted across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. It will feature six teams competing in 34 matches. The wildcard signings, plus the narrative of unsold stars, have added intrigue to an already electric lead-up to the tournament. During the auction that took place on October 1, complete squads for ILT20 2026 were revealed.
The standout bid of the auction went to Andre Fletcher, who fetched USD 260,000 from MI Emirates, marking the highest single bid of the event and cementing his value across seasons. Fletcher returns to the Emirates squad for the fourth straight year, illustrating his consistency and franchise loyalty.
In a surprising twist at the ILT20 auction, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the only player with a base price in the six-figure bracket, went unsold. With a base price of USD 120,000, Ashwin’s failure to attract bids stunned many in the cricketing world. Despite his absence in the accelerated auction rounds, all eyes now turn toward the wildcard slot, which still offers him a potential route into the league.
Two franchises, MI Emirates and Desert Vipers, have yet to finalize their wildcard signings, making them the only squads with remaining flexibility. Should they choose, one could still pick Ashwin as a late addition.
On the other hand, Desert Vipers were the only team active in pursuit of Pakistani players on the day following the PCB’s suspension of all NOCs (No-Objection Certificates) for cricketers wishing to play in foreign T20 leagues. The move by the PCB remains unexplained, but it adds a layer of tension to cross-border signings.
Undeterred, Vipers secured Fakhar Zaman (USD 80,000), Naseem Shah (USD 80,000), and Hasan Nawaz (USD 40,000), each acquired at base price. They also brought in the Afghanistan pair Qais Ahmad and Faridoon Dawoodzai, reinforcing their spin arsenal. Their commitment to regional talent and willingness to push boundaries has become a talking point in this auction.
Here are complete squads for ILT20 2026
| Team | Total Spent (USD) | Auction Signings | Retentions + Direct Signings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | 1,457,000 | Michael Pepper (40,000), George Garton (10,000), Brandon McMullen (110,000), Ibrar Ahmed (22,000), Ajay Kumar (10,000), Adnan Idrees Muhammad (10,000), Abdul Manan Ali (10,000), Mayank Chowdary (10,000), Khary Pierre (10,000), Shadley Van Schalkwyk (10,000), Unmukt Chand (40,000) | Liam Livingstone, Alishan Sharafu, Alex Hales, Sherfane Rutherford, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Phil Salt, Olly Stone |
| Desert Vipers | 1,617,500 | Vriitya Aravind (10,000), Fakhar Zaman (80,000), Naseem Shah (80,000), Qais Ahmad (40,000), Sanjay Pahal (10,000), Bilal Tahir (10,000), Faisal Khan (10,000), Hasan Nawaz (40,000), Tom Bruce (80,000), Matiullah Khan (10,000), Tawanda Muyeye (40,000), Faridoon Dawoodzai (10,000) | Dan Lawrence, Max Holden, David Payne, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Lockie Ferguson, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sam Curran, Andries Gous |
| Dubai Capitals | 1,475,000 | Muhammad Farooq (10,000), Tymal Mills (80,000), Scott Currie (250,000), Mohammad Nabi (80,000), Farhan Khan (10,000), Anudeep Chenthamara (10,000), Usman Najeeb (10,000), Ritesh Mallikarjuna Grandhi (10,000), Shayan Jahangir (10,000), Rushil Ugarkar (10,000), Naveen Bidiasee (10,000), Toby Albert (10,000), Akshay Wakhare (10,000) | Jordan Matthew Cox, Rovman Powell, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Waqar Salamkheil, Haider Ali, Muhammad Jawadullah, Jimmy Neesham |
| Gulf Giants | 1,471,000 | Asif Khan (26,000), Zuhaib Zubair (10,000), Sean Dickson (10,000), Tabraiz Shamsi (40,000), Liam Dawson (170,000), Fred Klaassen (40,000), Haider Razzaq (50,000), Meet Bhavsar (14,000), Ishtiaq Ahmad (16,000), Lorcan Tucker (10,000), Chris Wood (40,000), Tom Moores (40,000), Ramon Simmonds (40,000) | Aayan Afzal Khan, Mark Adair, Gerhard Erasmus, Blessing Muzarabani, Moeen Ali, James Vince, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz |
| MI Emirates | 1,868,000 | Muhammad Rohid (140,000), Jordan Thompson (48,000), Naveen-ul-Haq (100,000), Andre Fletcher (260,000), Nosthush Kenjige (10,000), Mohamed Shafeeq (10,000), Zain Ul Abidin (10,000), Usman Khan (10,000), Ackeem Auguste (10,000), Arab Gul (10,000), Tajinder Dhillon (10,000), Zahoor Khan (10,000), Shakib Al Hasan (40,000) | Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Muhammad Waseem, Kamindu Mendis |
| Sharjah Warriorz | 1,664,000 | Junaid Siddique (170,000), James Rew (10,000), Nathan Sowter (100,000), Dwaine Pretorius (120,000), Jayden Seales (80,000), Harmeet Singh (10,000), Wasim Akram (55,000), Mohamed Nawfer Mohamed Aslam (14,000), Raees Ahmad (10,000), Richard Ngarava (10,000), Shubham Ranjane (10,000), Ethan D’Souza (10,000), Taskin Ahmed (80,000), Abdul Salman Khan (10,000) | Dinesh Karthik, Sikandar Raza, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tim David, Johnson Charles, Tim Southee, Saurabh Netravalkar |