Ravi Ashwin goes unsold in ILT20 auction but Pakistan players picked despite no NOC

Retired India off spinner Ravi Ashwin surprising went unsold in the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20) auction on October 1. Ashwin was the highest base price player in the auction with $120,000 tag. The offie, however, can still play in the league if a franchise decides to pick him up as a wildcard. Two of the total six franchises, MI Emirates and Desert Vipers, are yet to announce their wildcard picks before the season starts in January next year. Ashwin also didn't feature in the accelerated auction after going unsold in the regular slot.

Pakistan player picked despite no NOC

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) withdrew all the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to players to take part in the foreign T20 leagues a day after their Asia Cup 2025 final loss against India. Despite no NOC, three Pakistan players were picked in the auction. Among the six franchises though, only the Vipers bid for Pakistan players and grabbed all three sold names. The Vipers picked up Fakhar Zaman (US $80,000), Naseem Shah (US $80,000) and Hasan Nawaz (US $40,000) at their base price in the auction.

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Also Read - Two more Indian players set to take part in ILT20 apart from Ravi Ashwin

How many teams participate in ILT20 and which are they?

The tournament is played among six teams - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (sister franchise of IPL's Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals (sister franchise of Delhi Capitals), Gulf Giants (sister franchise of WPL's Gujarat Giants), MI Emirates (sister franchise of Mumbai Indians), and Sharjah Warriors.

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How does retention and signings work in the league?

The league will hold its first-ever auction on October 1 after carrying out its retentions and signings in July earlier this year. Each team had $1.2 million for the retentions and signings. The franchise will be able to use the remaining amount along with $800,000 auction purse. It is necessary to utilize $1.5 million by each team from the total of $2 million. There also the provision of using extra $250,000 apart from $2 million to sign a wildcard player outside of auction pool.

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