Announcements

DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction: Purse, rules and key mechanics

Published

2 weeks ago

September 23, 2026

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The DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction will be held in Dubai on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at the ICC Academy indoors facility. The auction will bring together all six franchises as they look to complete their squads for the upcoming season, following their Pre-Auction Signings that were announced in August.

The Auction rules, purse, and mechanics are explained below.

Auction rules

Each franchise will have a purse of USD 1,300,000 to spend at the auction plus whatever spend remains unutilised from the USD 700,000 that was available for direct signings and retentions (remaining balance for each franchise will be announced before the DP World ILT20 Player Auction).
At the end of the auction, each franchise must have spent a minimum of $1.5m and a maximum of $2m (excluding a Wildcard player that may be added after the auction).
At the end of the auction, each franchise must have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players. Within this there must be a minimum of 11 players from ICC Full Member countries (at least four of which must be from Afghanistan and at least one of which must be from Ireland), a minimum of four players from the UAE, a minimum of one player from Kuwait, a minimum of one player from Saudi Arabia and at least one further player from ICC Associate countries (excluding the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia).

Player registration

The minimum base price for all players is USD 10,000. Players may also have a base price of USD 40,000 or USD 80,000.
The DP World ILT20 player registrations were completed between July and September – deadline September 12.
Full member players and associate players (excluding UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) had the option to set their own base price for the auction as per the following levels:
- USD $10,000
- USD $40,000
- USD $80,000
Players from Afghanistan and Ireland had the option to set their base prices at the above levels, with the following provisos:
- To have a base price of USD $40,000, they must have been capped at international level and/or have played in DP World ILT20 previously.
- To have a base price of USD $80,000 they must have been capped 100 or more times at international level (may be cumulative across Tests, ODI and IT20).
All UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia players have a base price of USD $10,000.
If a player is injured, receives an international call up or does not receive an NOC, they may be replaced at any time until the end of the league phase of DP World ILT20 Season 5. Replacement players do not need to have been featured in the player auction. No additional players will be added after the auction and the Wildcard player, only replacements may be added to the squad.

Auction mechanics

Players will be allocated sets on account of status (i.e. Capped UAE player/Full Member/Associate player/Uncapped UAE Player/Kuwait player/Saudi Arabia player) and specialisation (batsman, bowler, all-rounder, wicketkeeper etc).
Each set will include six to ten players.
Within the sets, players will be drawn at random, and the auctioneer will read out the player’s name and his base price. The auctioneer will then invite bids until there are no further bids.
The base price of the player will be visible on screens during the auction, with the bidding shown in real time.
Once a player has received his first bid in the auction, bids will be raised in the following increments:
- USD $2,000 for bids between USD $10,000 and USD $ 50,000;
- USD $5,000 for bids between USD $50,000 and USD $100,000;
- USD $10,000 for bids of USD $100,000 and above.
Following the conclusion of all sets (Full member, Associate Member, UAE Players, Kuwait players and Saudi Arabia players), if franchises still have room in their squad, they may request up to eight players from the Accelerated Set to be put forward into the auction.
Once all Franchises have spent their minimum total spend ($1.5m per team) and have fulfilled their minimum quotas of each type of player, they will be asked if they wish to end the auction. Once all six Franchises have fulfilled their minimum requirements and are either unable or do not wish to sign any more players, the auction will be declared finished by the auctioneer.

Player Right to Match

Franchises will each have four Rights to Match to use during the auction:
- One for a Full member player that played for that Franchise in Season 4 (including Afghanistan and Ireland)
- One for an Associate member player that played for that Franchise in Season 4
- One for a UAE player that played for that Franchise in Season 4, or was part of their Development Squad in the 2026 ILT20 Development Tournament
- One for a Kuwait or Saudi player that played for that Franchise in Season 4
All of these Rights to Match are optional and not obligatory.

Replacement players

If a player is injured, receives an international call-up or does not receive an NOC, they may be replaced at any time until the end of the league phase of DP World ILT20 Season 5. Once the tournament support period has commenced, approvals for replacement players must be granted by the ILT20 Technical Committee.
Replacement of mandatory players (i.e. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait. Afghanistan or Ireland) must come from the pool of players that registered for the auction. Replacement players from other nations do not have to have registered in the auction.

Announcements

MIRAL Joins 2026 Abu Dhabi T10 as official experience partner

Published

1 day ago

October 7, 2026

Sudhashree Dash

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Yas Island will become the official experiences partner of the Abu Dhabi T10 for its 2026 edition, under a new partnership between Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub (ADCSH) and Miral.

Under the agreement, all six Abu Dhabi T10 franchises will be based on Yas Island during the tournament, while a number of events linked to the competition will also be held across the destination.

The partnership will include the tournament’s Trophy Launch, Opening Party and Closing Party, with Yas Island’s attractions and venues forming part of the wider Abu Dhabi T10 experience for players, teams, partners and fans.

“We are thrilled to welcome Yas Island as the Official Experiences Partner of the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10,” said Matthew Boucher, CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub and Abu Dhabi T10.

“The island is an unbelievable destination which will provide an exceptional setting for our teams, our players and for many of the tournament experiences.”

Leon Marsh, Miral’s director of events, said the partnership reflected a shared aim of creating experiences for “fans, teams and families alike”.

“Yas Island is the ideal setting for the key moments and flagship events taking place during this year’s Abu Dhabi T10,” he said.

The 2026 Abu Dhabi T10 Draft, held at Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, saw 108 players selected by six franchises: Arabian Aces, Emirates Eagles, Royal Desert Champions, UAE Bulls, United Tigers and Yas Lions.

The tournament will take place at Zayed Cricket Stadium from 7 to 20 November, bringing together international players for the 10-over competition.

The partnership is also intended to promote Abu Dhabi as a destination combining international sport, leisure and entertainment, with Yas Island providing the base for the teams throughout the tournament.

Announcements

Dubai-born HOP Events targets 25 cities in global expansion

Published

7 days ago

October 2, 2026

Staff Reporter

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A Dubai-founded events company is planning to expand into 25 cities worldwide over the next two years, as it looks to build an international business around music and culture.

HOP Events, founded by Dubai-based entrepreneur Kalpesh Kinariwala, said it aims to stage more than 250 events a year across 75 venues and arenas, reaching more than one million people annually.

Its planned expansion includes London, New York, Doha and Singapore, alongside its existing base in Dubai.

The company has organised concerts featuring artists including A.R. Rahman, Arijit Singh, Lucky Ali, Nancy Ajram, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and sitarist Rishab Sharma.

HOP now plans to broaden its programme beyond large-scale concerts, with storytelling, art and other cultural events forming part of its international expansion.

“Our goal has never been to build an events company,” Kinariwala said. “We’re building a platform where culture becomes a catalyst for connection.”

The plans were outlined after a recent Dubai event featuring storyteller Laksh Maheshwari.

HOP is the cultural arm of PANTHEON ACR, a Dubai-based venture founded by Kinariwala with interests spanning art, culture and real estate.

Kinariwala said Dubai’s position as a city with a large international population provided the starting point for HOP’s expansion.

The company said its programme over the next 24 months would feature both established international performers and emerging creative talent, alongside storytelling and other cultural experiences.

“The moments people carry with them for years are rarely the biggest,” Kinariwala said. “They are the moments that make us feel connected, inspired, understood or part of something larger than ourselves.”

Announcements

New-look Abu Dhabi T10 raises the stakes with star-studded 2026 draft; Naseem, Hales, Amir and Shanaka among top picks

Published

7 days ago

October 2, 2026

Sudhashree Dash

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The 2026 Abu Dhabi T10 Player Draft saw a host of international stars find new homes ahead of the upcoming season, with Naseem Shah (Royal Desert Champions), Noor Ahmad (Emirates Eagles), Muhammad Amir (UAE Bulls), Alzarri Joseph (Arabian Aces), Dasun Shanaka (Yas Lions), Shadab Khan (UAE Bulls), Kusal Perera (Emirates Eagles) and Chris Jordan (Royal Desert Champions) among the headline names selected.

The Draft also saw several of the UAE’s leading players join the six franchises, underlining the growing depth of local talent in the reimagined Abu Dhabi T10. Alishan Sharafu (Arabian Aces), Aayan Afzal Khan (Royal Desert Champions), Muhammad Waseem (Royal Desert Champions), Haider Razzaq (Emirates Eagles), Muhammad Rohid (UAE Bulls), Ansh Tandon (Yas Lions) and Luqman Faisal (Emirates Eagles) were among the prominent UAE selections.

Awais Ali Shah (United Tigers), Dhruv Parashar (Royal Desert Champions), Harshit Kaushik (Emirates Eagles), Wali Muhammad (UAE Bulls), Adithya Shetty (United Tigers), Haider Ali (Yas Lions) and Vriitya Arvind (Arabian Aces) were also among those selected, further strengthening the UAE presence across the six squads.

The Arabian Aces will have plenty of experience and firepower in their ranks, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings and Imran Tahir among their notable draft selections. Alzarri Joseph, Richard Gleeson, Dwayne Pretorius and Dunith Wellalage add further bowling and all-round options to a squad that already featured Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Liam Livingstone as pre-draft signings. The Aces also secured further local and emerging talent to complement their international core.

The Emirates Eagles’ batting stocks feature Alex Hales, KS Bharat, Hassan Nawaz and Kusal Perera, while David Wiese and Chris Green offer valuable all-round options. Noor Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed and Ali Raza further strengthen the bowling department, complementing pre-draft signings Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult.

The Royal Desert Champions assembled a formidable side led by the likes of Naseem Shah, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera and Chris Jordan. Muhammad Waseem, Brandon King and Jayanth Liyanage add batting depth, while Gulbadin Naib and Keemo Paul provide all-round ability. The side already had Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt and Sherfane Rutherford on board as pre-draft signings.

The UAE Bulls have an abundance of power-hitting options through Andre Fletcher, Aneurin Donald, Khwaja Nafay, Max Bryan and Azam Khan, with Shadab Khan and Khushdil Shah offering all-round depth. Muhammad Amir and Nuwan Thushara add to the bowling attack, while the franchise had already secured Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Romario Shepherd before the Draft. Scotland’s Bradley Currie also joins the squad.

The United Tigers have established international experience with Azmatullah Omarzai, Odean Smith and Mahedi Hasan offering all-round options, while Abbas Afridi and Sufyan Moqim strengthen the bowling resources. The Tigers’ pre-draft haul comprised the Pakistani trio of Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf.

The Yas Lions have plenty of experience with James Vince, Dasun Shanaka, Tom Moores and Akeal Hosein among their notable selections. Eshan Malinga and Obed McCoy build their bowling strength, while the Lions had already secured Jason Holder, David Willey and Andries Gous before the Draft. Netherlands’ Aryan Dutt also joins the squad as their Associate Member selection.

Arabian Aces: Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Liam Livingstone, Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Arfan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Richard Gleeson, Sam Billings, Paul Walter, Alzarri Joseph, Imran Tahir, Salman Irshad, Quentin Sampson, Dwaine Pretorius, Vriitya Arvind, Ibrahim Masood, Amshi De Silva, Dunith Wellalage

Emirates Eagles: Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Haider Razzaq, Luqman Faisal, David Wiese, Noor Ahmad, Alex Hales, KS Bharat, Akif Javed, Hassan Nawaz, Rehan Ahmed, Ali Raza, Chris Green, Harshit Kaushik, Hilal Afghan, Toby Albert, Kusal Perera

Royal Desert Champions: Nicholas Pooran, Phil Salt, Sherfane Rutherford, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Naseem Shah, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Luke Wood, Gulbadin Naib, Brandon King, Janith Liyanage, Keemo Paul, Dhruv Parashar, Raizal Nadir, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Chris Jordan

UAE Bulls: Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Romario Shepherd, Muhammad Rohid, Tahir Zaman, Aneurin Donald, Muhammad Amir, Andre Fletcher, Khwaja Nafay, Nuwan Thushara, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Max Bryant, Azam Khan, Wali Muhammad, Uddish Suri, Bradley Currie, Shadab Khan

United Tigers: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Zeeshan Naseer, Awais Ali Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sufyan Moqim, Abbas Afridi, Odean Smith, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Noor ul Rahman, Shamim Hossain, Adithya Shetty, Noor Ullah Ayubi, Paul van Meekeren, Yasin Patel

Yas Lions: Jason Holder, David Willey, Andries Gous, Ajay Kumar, Ansh Tandon, James Vince, Dasun Shanaka, Eshan Malinga, Karim Janat, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Tom Moores, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Obed McCoy, Kamil Pooran, Haider Ali, Masood Gurbaz, Aryan Dutt, Akeal Hosein