{
  "id": 10960360,
  "title": "Babar Azam, the Pakistan issue and $1.3m to spend: ILT20 auction explained",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/babar-azam-the-pakistan-issue-and-1-3m-to-spend-ilt20-auction-10960360",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-30T14:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2026/09/30/babar-azam-the-pakistan-issue-and-13m-to-spend-ilt20-auction-explained/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The DP World International League Twenty20 player auction will take place on Thursday at the ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. The event is expected to be more extensive than the previous pilot auction. Six franchises will each be able to sign four players, leaving them to add between 14 and 19 players via the auction. Each franchise has a budget of around $1.3 million, plus any remaining funds from the $700,000 allocated for four pre-auction signings. The auctioned players can earn life-changing salaries, with teams required to have a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 23 players in their squads, including players from ICC full member countries, Afghanistan, Ireland, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and another associate country. The auction mechanics involve lots being drawn for sets of six to 10 players, with bids incrementing at various price points. Franchises have four \"rights to match\" for players who played for them the previous season. Pakistani players could see increased opportunities in the auction, with Babar Azam set to make his first appearance in the UAE's T20 franchise tournament, listed at the maximum base price of $80,000.",
  "summary": "The DP World International League T20 player auction will take place at the ICC Academy on Thursday. It will be vastly larger than last year’s pilot edition. Each of the six franchises have been able to sign just four players so far – meaning they will need to add between 14 and 19 players each via the auction. It means it will be a frenzied day off bidding in Dubai Sports City, with some players…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Babar Azam, the Pakistan issue and $1.3m to spend: ILT20 auction explained",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/babar-azam-the-pakistan-issue-and-1-3m-to-spend-ilt20-auction",
        "published": "2026-09-30T14:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Fans enter field after Babar Azam dismissal, raising security concerns",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/fans-enter-field-after-babar-azam-dismissal-raising-security-concerns",
        "published": "2026-09-30T17:37:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}