Fazalhaq Farooqi becomes most expensive player in ILT20 auction history
What's the story
Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has set a new record in the International League T20 (ILT20) auction by becoming the most expensive player in ILT20 auction history. MI Emirates bought him for a whopping $380,000 at the Season 5 Player Auction held in Dubai on Thursday. The previous record was held by Andre Fletcher, who was sold for $260,000 during Season 4.
Auction highlights
Major signings from the auction
Along with Farooqi, three other players also broke the previous auction record.
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone was signed by Gulf Giants for $350,000.
The Giants also used their Right-to-Match option to retain Rahmanullah Gurbaz at a price of $310,000.
Faf du Plessis was signed by Dubai Capitals for $300,000 in another major deal of the day.
Player retention
UAE players also drew a lot of attention
UAE players also drew a lot of attention in the auction, with Muhammad Waseem becoming the most expensive UAE player in ILT20 auction history.
MI Emirates retained him for $210,000 using their RTM option.
Alishan Sharafu was signed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for $110,000 while Muhammad Rohid and Aayan Khan were both signed at $95,000 each to Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals respectively.
International players
Strong presence of associate nation players
The auction also saw a strong presence of players from associate nations.
USA's Amshi De Silva was signed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for $100,000 while fellow USA all-rounder Hassan Khan was signed by Dubai Capitals for $90,000.
Scotland's Brandon McMullen was picked by Sharjah Warriorz for $80,000 and Namibia's David Wiese was signed by Gulf Giants for $70,000.