Babar Azam, the Pakistan issue and $1.3m to spend: ILT20 auction explained

The DP World International League T20 player auction, set to take place in Dubai Sports City, is poised to be a significant event, vastly larger than its previous pilot edition. Six franchises will be participating, each required to sign between 14 and 19 players via the auction, with a purse of around $1.3 million available to each.

Each team must field a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 23 players, with specific quotas for players from ICC full member countries, Afghanistan, Ireland, the UAE, and other associate countries. Players from Test and associate nations, excluding UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, can set their base rate at $10,000, $40,000, or $80,000, with UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia players having a base price of $10,000.

The auction will see players drawn at random, and bidders will incrementally raise their bids in increments of $2,000, $5,000, and $10,000 depending on the player's base price. With Babar Azam, Pakistan's star player, set to make his first appearance in the UAE's T20 franchise tournament, the auction presents an opportunity for bidding teams to secure life-changing fees, potentially altering the landscape of the league.

However, political tensions between Pakistan and India may influence the auction, particularly as none of the franchises expressed interest in Pakistani players in the previous auction.