ILT20 Auction: Fazalhaq Farooqi Shatters Record With $380k MI Emirates Bid as Babar Azam Joins Desert Vipers

Fazalhaq Farooqi shattered the all-time tournament record at the DP World ILT20 Season 5 auction after being re-signed by MI Emirates for a ground-breaking USD 380,000. Meanwhile, Desert Vipers bolstered their squad by securing Pakistan superstar Babar Azam alongside a strong Pakistani contingent.

Record-Breaking Bid for Farooqi: Afghanistan speedster Fazalhaq Farooqi became the most expensive player in ILT20 auction history after MI Emirates won an intense bidding war to bring him back for USD 380,000. The price tag smashed the previous league record of USD 260,000 set during the Season 4 auction.

Auction Record Broken Three Times: Farooqi's milestone was the culmination of a wild auction day where the tournament's highest-ever price tag changed hands three times. Earlier in the session, Gulf Giants used their Right-to-Match (RTM) card for Rahmanullah Gurbaz at USD 310,000 before securing Liam Livingstone for USD 350,000.

Babar Azam Headlines Vipers' Picks: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam was snapped up by Desert Vipers at his base price of USD 80,000 in the top bracket, marking his maiden stint in the ILT20. Desert Vipers' Pakistan Contingent: Desert Vipers—the sole non-Indian-owned franchise in the league—doubled down on top Pakistani talent. Alongside Babar, they secured fast bowler Naseem Shah, opener Fakhar Zaman, and all-rounder Shadab Khan.

Notable Unsold Players: Several high-profile international and Pakistani players, including Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, and mystery spinner Usman Tariq, initially failed to attract bids at their USD 80,000 base price.