Key points
- MI Emirates kept Muhammad Waseem for $210,000 with a Right to Match card.
- It is the highest price ever paid for a UAE player at an ILT20 auction.
- Alishan Sharafu ($110,000), Muhammad Rohid ($95,000) and Aayan Khan ($95,000) were the next biggest UAE deals.
- Season 5 will be Waseem’s fifth season with MI Emirates.
MI Emirates kept Muhammad Waseem for $210,000 at the ILT20 Season 5 auction at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Thursday 1 October 2026. The team used a Right to Match card to bring back the UAE batter, and his price is the highest ever paid for a UAE player at an ILT20 auction.
It is a record for a local player. Fazalhaq Farooqi’s $380,000 move to MI Emirates on the same day is the overall ILT20 auction record.
How MI Emirates kept Waseem
Like every UAE player in the auction, Waseem started at a base price of $10,000. The bidding climbed to $210,000, with Dubai Capitals and Gulf Giants among the bidders, and MI Emirates then matched the winning bid with their RTM card. A matched bid means the player stays with his old team at the new price.
Waseem has played for MI Emirates since the first ILT20 season in 2023, and Season 5 will be his fifth with the team. Farooqi and the UAE bowler Zahoor Khan, who returns for $30,000, have been with MI Emirates just as long.
The biggest UAE deals
Waseem led the UAE prices, ahead of Alishan Sharafu, whom Abu Dhabi Knight Riders also kept with a Right to Match card. Muhammad Rohid and Aayan Khan both went for $95,000.
| UAE player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad WaseemRTM |  MI Emirates | $210,000 |
| Alishan SharafuRTM |  Abu Dhabi Knight RidersAbu Dhabi KR | $110,000 |
| Muhammad Rohid | Abu Dhabi Knight RidersAbu Dhabi KR | $95,000 |
| Aayan Khan |  Dubai Capitals | $95,000 |
More than $1 million was spent on UAE players across the six teams, The National reported. These are auction prices in US dollars, not monthly salaries: see how ILT20 players are paid.
UAE players and the season
The UAE national team is likely to be playing in the World Cup Qualifier Play-off while the ILT20 season is on, The National reports, so UAE one-day players such as Aayan Khan may be unavailable for some matches. Waseem and Sharafu are not in the UAE’s current one-day side.
ILT20 Season 5 runs from Saturday 21 November to Sunday 20 December 2026. See the full MI Emirates squad, or read how RTM and base prices work.
Sources: The National, ESPNcricinfo auction live blog, MI Emirates squad announcement (IANS).
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