Key points
- Desert Vipers signed Babar Azam for $80,000 at the auction on 1 October 2026.
- Season 5 will be his first season in the ILT20.
- Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan also joined the Vipers for $80,000 each.
- Usman Tariq joined Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for $80,000 in a later round.
Babar Azam joins Desert Vipers after the defending champions signed the Pakistan batter for $80,000 at the ILT20 Season 5 auction at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Thursday 1 October 2026. It will be his first season in the league.
Babar was one of the players listed at $80,000, the top base price at the auction. The Vipers opened the bidding at that price, no other team bid, and he was sold to them for $80,000.
Four Pakistan players at the Vipers
Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan also joined the Vipers for $80,000 each, so the champions have four Pakistan players for Season 5. All three have played for the Vipers before, and Naseem took 3 for 18 when they beat MI Emirates in the Season 4 final in January (see the ILT20 winners list).
| Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam |  Desert Vipers | $80,000 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Desert Vipers | $80,000 |
| Naseem Shah | Desert Vipers | $80,000 |
| Shadab Khan | Desert Vipers | $80,000 |
| Usman Tariq |  Abu Dhabi Knight RidersAbu Dhabi KR | $80,000 |
Several reports said all four Vipers signings went for their base price. Pre-auction lists put Shadab in the $40,000 group, but ESPNcricinfo’s live coverage shows his bidding started at $80,000 and the Vipers signed him without a rival bid.
Usman Tariq goes to the Knight Riders
Usman Tariq was the fifth Pakistan player bought at the auction. Nobody bid for him when he was first called, but Abu Dhabi Knight Riders signed him for $80,000 in the accelerated rounds later in the day. Some reports written before those rounds still list him as unsold.
What comes next
The Vipers signed four players before the auction: Andries Gous, Dan Lawrence, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Shimron Hetmyer. See the full Desert Vipers squad, and the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders squad for Tariq.
A signing confirms a place in the squad, not in the starting eleven. Season 5 starts on Saturday 21 November 2026, and Babar’s first match date will be known once the fixtures are announced. Check the ILT20 schedule for the latest dates.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo auction live blog, Tapmad, Cricbuzz auction report, CricTracker.
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