Key points
- MI Emirates bought Fazalhaq Farooqi for $380,000, the highest price in ILT20 auction history.
- The previous record was Andre Fletcher’s $260,000 in 2025. The new record is $120,000 higher.
- The record changed hands three times on the day, from Rahmanullah Gurbaz to Liam Livingstone to Farooqi.
- ILT20 2026 starts on Saturday 21 November.
MI Emirates made Fazalhaq Farooqi the most expensive player in ILT20 auction history on Thursday 1 October 2026, paying $380,000 for the Afghanistan fast bowler at the Season 5 player auction at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
How far the record moved
Andre Fletcher held the previous record after MI Emirates bought him for $260,000 at the first ILT20 auction in 2025. Farooqi’s price is $120,000 higher, an increase of about 46%.
| Record | Player | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Previous record, 2025 | Andre Fletcher | $260,000 |
| New record, 2026 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | $380,000 |
| Increase | $120,000 |
The record changed hands three times during the day. Gulf Giants first kept Rahmanullah Gurbaz for $310,000 with a Right to Match card, then bought Liam Livingstone for $350,000, before Farooqi’s $380,000 closed the day. Dubai Capitals’ $300,000 for Faf du Plessis also beat the old mark, so four players went for $300,000 or more.
The biggest buys
- 1
Fazalhaq FarooqiMI Emirates$380,000 - 2
Liam LivingstoneGulf Giants$350,000 - 3Rahmanullah GurbazGulf Giants$310,000
- 4
Faf du PlessisDubai Capitals$300,000 - 5Alzarri JosephGulf Giants$230,000
The percentage is our calculation: $120,000 divided by $260,000. See the full ILT20 auction results for every player sold.
A fifth season with MI Emirates
This is a return, not a move. Farooqi has played for MI Emirates since the first ILT20 season in 2023, and Season 5 will be his fifth with the team.
MI Emirates spent their whole $1.39 million purse at the auction. They also used Right to Match cards to keep Muhammad Waseem for $210,000, a record for a UAE player, and Allah Ghazanfar for $150,000, and bought Chris Jordan for $170,000. Their four pre-auction signings were Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford. See the full MI Emirates squad.
The $380,000 is Farooqi’s auction price. It does not show who earns the most in the league overall, because the fees paid to players signed before the auction are not published.
What happens next
At the same auction, Babar Azam joined the defending champions: read about Babar’s Desert Vipers signing. ILT20 2026 begins on Saturday 21 November, and the final is at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday 20 December. Browse all six squads.
Sources: CricTracker, MI Emirates squad announcement (IANS), ESPNcricinfo auction live blog.
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