When the DP World International League T20 staged a player auction for the first time last year, no one knew what to expect.
As the powers-that-be within the six franchises tried to navigate the volatile machinations of the bidding process, aspiring recruits were tuning in from afar.
Some sat at home and watched online. Others were out training. One group of highly talented, UAE-raised players were barely paying it any attention while they had a net session between themselves in Dubai Academic City.
International stars bagged the sort of deals that are commonplace in franchise leagues around the world.
Then the name of Junaid Siddique, the UAE national team fast bowler who had once packed bags in a grocery store to make ends meet, came up.
A few minutes later, his life was changed, and suddenly the earning potential of UAE cricketers had shifted forever.
“I was there after training and we had the auction on in the background,” said Ali Naseer, a UAE all-rounder who played the early season of the ILT20 for the Desert Vipers.
“When Junaid’s name came up, in the first 10 seconds, no one bid for him. Then after that, there was Gulf Giants, Sharjah Warriorz, and who knows who else, going for him.
“He got to 80, 90 [thousand dollars], and I was like, 'OK, that's surely enough.' Then he went to 120, I was like, 'How is this possible?'
“Eventually, once he was signed at 170k, I thought, 'Wow, Mashallah.' That is a lot of money.”
It was not just Junaid. Mohammed Rohid, a young seamer who was new to international cricket with UAE, had fetched $140,000 to play for MI Emirates.
Players who had eked out a living as cricketers in the UAE – centrally contracted national team players were on a top rate of around Dh8,000 per month – now realised this could be them in the future.
“Junaid has been playing for so long, but obviously he is a UAE player like us, so all of us can relate to him,” Naseer said.
“When a player sees that a fellow UAE player is getting paid that money, they feel like they can do that themselves as well.
“I think that's a massive motivation factor for the UAE players. You know that if you do perform well then that you can get picked up for life-changing money.”
Now the goalposts have shifted again. In previous seasons, some players had pre-existing deals with ILT20 franchises, guaranteeing them an income.
For the first time, all UAE players will be recruited ahead of Season 5, which starts in November, via an auction on October 1.
Each of the six franchises are compelled to have four UAE players – who are either qualified to represent the national team or intend to in the future – in their squads. At least one of these must be under 23 years of age.
The players will get the chance to advertise their talents via the ILT20 Development Tournament, which starts in Dubai on Monday. It means 102 players will be competing for 24 places in the main event.
Naseer should be an attractive proposition for the franchises. Although he last played for the national team over 18 months ago, he remains one of the country’s brightest young prospects.
And he is still only 22, meaning he fits into the Under 23 category; with six players requiring to be signed in this, it is safe to assume bidding will be competitive.
With earning potential limited outside of the ILT20, Naseer took up a job with a real estate company, along with two other young UAE players in a similar position – Alishan Sharafu and Nilansh Keswani.
Happily for them, the trio have a cricket-obsessed boss at AMZ Properties who will cut them some slack if it means playing professional cricket, either at franchise or international level.
And his new role means that if he is one of the lucky players who lands a windfall at the auction, he can make an informed call on what to do with it.
“I just feel like this tournament is so good because if you can perform, it opens up a huge possibility for you to get picked for good money,” Naseer said,
“Junaid and Rohid got life-changing money. So I think if I can have a good tournament, that opens up a lot of doors.
“Hopefully a few teams will want to bid for me, and that could be really pleasing for me. Maybe I could actually put my own downpayment for a property now as an agent.”
The extreme riches of the auction have come a little late for some players. CP Rizwan was part of the Gulf Giants side who won the first ILT20 title in 2023. Now aged 38, he is the coach of their development team.
“It's a really incredible opportunity for a UAE player to change the course of their life,” Rizwan said of the tournament.
“What else do you need as a player? It also motivates parents to invest in cricket even further so that players can take it as a career.”
In a competition where the individual rewards will unquestionably outweigh anything the team might achieve, selfishness could easily abound at the development tournament.
Rizwan accepts that is possible, but that he has been instructed by the franchise’s head coach, Simon Helmot, on the specifics of what they are looking for in recruits. And it goes beyond bare numbers.
“The instruction has been clear; Yes, talent is important for sure, but they have to be incredible team men, as well,” Rizwan said.
“That is one of the characteristics they are looking for in a player. There are two UAE players who can play in the XI [in the main ILT20 tournament], and they really have to be a good teammate.
“Even if you are not part of the squad, how are you among the group? How are you supporting each other? Those qualities are definitely important.”
An example of that might be Vriitya Aravind. He, too, has been out of the UAE side for some time now, even though he is still the country’s leading ODI run scorer.
He was part of the Vipers’ title-winning side last season, and toured Guyana with them for the Global Super League this summer.
He has clearly created a good impression: he has been retained by the Vipers for the development tournament, and will be their captain.
The sides for the competition had the option of retaining all four of their players from the last ILT20 within their development side.
It means that – at least for this tournament – the Vipers will still have Khuzaima Tanveer and Sanjay Pahal to call on. Both of those players earned contracts to play in the ILT20 in the past directly because of their exploits in the development tournament.
“It is a real opportunity to show what they have got on and off the field, and chances will be there,” Jack Luffman, the development lead for the Vipers, said of the shop window in this tournament.
“We would be delighted if it is with the Vipers, but if it’s not, then [getting a contract with any other side] is great for those young boys, too.”
