{
  "id": 11242565,
  "title": "Pakistan stars Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman remain poor relations as millions are spent at ILT20 auction",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/pakistan-stars-babar-azam-and-fakhar-zaman-remain-poor-relations-as-11242565",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T15:37:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2026/10/01/pakistan-stars-babar-azam-and-fakhar-zaman-remain-poor-relations-as-millions-are-spent-at-ilt20-auction/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The DP World International League T20 auction in Dubai saw leading players from around the world secure substantial paydays, with Pakistani top stars Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman remaining overlooked by Indian franchise owners. Babar Azam, who holds the record for most T20 international runs, was purchased by Desert Vipers for his base rate of $80,000. Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah followed suit, also being acquired by the Vipers at their base prices. In contrast, Afghan player Fazalhaq Farooqi fetched the highest bid at $380,000, while England's Liam Livingstone and Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz were purchased for $350,000 and $310,000 respectively. Local UAE players Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu also saw substantial bids, with Waseem securing $210,000 and Sharafu going for $110,000. Despite the Indian owners of the other five teams overlooking Pakistani players, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders managed to secure Pakistan mystery spinner Usman Tariq for his base price of $80,000. The Vipers, owners of the Desert Vipers, highlighted their excitement in bringing back Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Babar Azam to their squad, emphasizing the competitive nature of the tournament and the strength of the league.",
  "summary": "Leading players from around the world enjoyed bumper pay days at the DP World International League T20 auction in Dubai. But Pakistan’s top stars were recruited at bargain basement prices as they continue to be largely overlooked by Indian franchise owners. Babar Azam has scored more T20 international runs than anyone in history, and was one of the best-known players in the auction . He was…",
  "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."
}