Domestic players have been told “it is a great time to be a UAE cricketer” after over a million dollars were spent on them at the DP World International League T20 auction.
The bidding process ahead of Season 5 of the country’s T20 franchise competition saw some eye-watering sums lavished on players from around the globe.
Several UAE players were among the beneficiaries, with Muhammad Waseem setting a new record amount for a local player.
MI Emirates matched a bid of $210,000 to retain the services of the opener, who has been the leading UAE player in each of the first four seasons of the ILT20.
Alishan Sharafu will earn $110,000 to play for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, while Mohammed Rohid and Aayan Khan each landed bids worth $95,000.
In total, 26 players earned deals. Each of the six franchises had to recruit a minimum of four players, as per competition rules.
Desert Vipers and Gulf Giants – who, coincidentally, were the two finalists in the domestic feeder tournament for the ILT20 – took five UAE players each.
Between the 26 players, contracts worth a combined total of $1.027m were handed out.
“What a great time to be a UAE cricketer,” said Ahmed Raza, the former national team captain and coach, who is part of the Dubai Capitals’ coaching staff.
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UAE T20 veteran Muhammad Waseem goes under the hammer during the ILT20 player auction at the ICC Academy in Dubai. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Zayed Abbas, ECB board member, takes part in the ILT20 player auction -
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate during the auction on Thursday -
Pakistan star batter Babar Azam went to Desert Vipers -
UAE's Muhammad Waseem hit the jackpot during ILT20 auction -
Former UAE captain Ahmed Raza is now with the Dubai Capitals -
Alishan Sharafu goes up for sale
“With everyone coming back into the auction [all UAE players were recruited by the bidding process] this was kind of expected.
“Especially for the names who have done really well, like, for example, Waseem. He’s done so well, so him going for $210,000 was no surprise. I'm very happy.”
Raza’s role in scouting domestic talent was crucial for the Capitals, as they seek to regain the ILT20 title they won two seasons ago.
As a former left-arm spinner of great standing within UAE cricket, his picks were telling. The Capitals went for two left-arm slow bowlers in Aayan and Haider Ali, as well as the Sharjah-raised leg-spinner Zuhaib Zubair.
The selection of Aayan was instructive. The 20-year-old spinner was the outstanding candidate in the mandatory Under 23 player category, but he might be absent from the tournament due to a scheduling issue.
The national team will likely be playing in the World Cup Qualifier Play-off when the ILT20 season is on, meaning ODI players like Aayan will be unavailable for selection.
As per the competition rules, franchises can replace players who are called up for international duty. The replacement has to come from the list of players who registered for the auction.
It felt like the Vipers were already planning for just that eventuality when they picked a fifth UAE player, just as they were putting on their jackets and getting ready to leave.
At the start of the day, the best part of eight hours’ earlier, they had shown a commendable desire to reward a player they consider one of their own.
The Vipers are proud of the fact Khuzaima Tanveer has established himself as one of the premier pace bowlers in the national team, after they unearthed him in the ILT20.
In some ways they will be victims of their own success; he will likely be unavailable to them for the season because of UAE duty.
They still backed him to the tune of a $75,000 deal, but they are clearly planning for the prospect of not having him.
Teams are entitled to go back into the pool and recruit players. But the Vipers warded off the danger of missing out on a suitable substitute for Khuzaima by snapping up Wali Mohammed for his base price of $10,000 late in the evening.
A fast bowler of similar attributes to Khuzaima, Wali was one of the finds of the development tournament, where he was the leading wicket taker and most economical bowler.
The most money for UAE players was spent on two batters who will likely not be concerned by the availability problem.
Waseem and Sharafu both find themselves outside of the UAE’s ODI side, just at the right time, as it has turned out.
Dwayne Bravo, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders coach, was thrilled to retain Sharafu, and says he is challenging him to post big scores in the new tournament.
“He has the ability to bat in any position,” Bravo said. “He can bat from 1 to 7. He scores a lot of runs, he scores very quickly, and is nice to have around the team environment.
“I always give him a hard time because he gets a lot of good starts and doesn't carry on. But he always have that impact into the game, no matter what position he goes in to bat. I’m happy to get him back.”
