The International League T20 (ILT20) is set to make history with its first-ever player auction for Season 4. In this big event, six teams will bid to build their squads for the upcoming tournament. The ILT20 Season 4 auction is set for Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at Dubai’s stunning Four Seasons Hotel on Jumeirah Beach. Starting at 2 PM GST (3:30 PM IST), this will be the league’s first-ever auction, a big change from the drafts used before.
ILT20 Season 4 Player Auction 2025 Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Auction Venue | Four Seasons Hotel, Jumeriah Beach, Dubai |
| Auction Time | 3:30 PM IST (2:00 PM GST) |
| Number of Franchises | 6 |
| Squad Size | Minimum 19 players, Maximum 21 players (excluding Wildcards) |
| Notable Player Base Price | Ravichandran Ashwin highest at $120,000 |
ILT20 Season 4: Auction Rules and Regulations
| Rule Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Base Purse | USD 800,000 per team |
| Additional Funds | Unused retention funds added to purse |
| Minimum Spend | USD 1.5 million per team |
| Maximum Spend | USD 2 million per team |
| Wildcard Budget | USD 250,000 for 2 wildcard players |
| Squad Size (Min) | 19 players (excluding wildcards) |
| Squad Size (Max) | 21 players (excluding wildcards) |
| Full Member Players (Min) | 11 players |
| UAE Players (Required) | 4 players |
| Kuwait Players (Required) | 1 player |
| Saudi Arabia Players (Required) | 1 player |
| Other Associate Players (Min) | 2 players |
| Base Price Option 1 | USD 10,000 |
| Base Price Option 2 | USD 40,000 |
| Base Price Option 3 | USD 80,000 |
| RTM Cards | 1 per team |
| RTM Eligibility | Only UAE players from Season 3 squad or development squad |
How the Purse System Works
Each team will start the auction with a purse of USD 800,000, plus any leftover money from their USD 1.2 million retention and direct signing budget. In short, teams that saved money on retentions will have more to spend at the auction.
Every franchise must spend between USD 1.5 million and USD 2 million to complete their squad, making sure enough is invested in player talent. On top of that, teams are allowed to use an extra USD 250,000 to sign up to two wildcard players outside the auction.
Right-to-Match (RTM) Rule
The ILT20 auction also brings in a special Right-to-Match (RTM) rule, but with limits. Each franchise can use one RTM card, and only for UAE players who either:
- Played for them in ILT20 Season 3, or
- Were part of their development squad
ILT20 Season 4: Retained Players and New Signings
By July 2025, all six teams had completed their retentions and direct signings, holding on to eight players each.
| Team | Retained Players |
|---|---|
| Sharjah Warriorz | Kusal Mendis, Johnson Charles, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tim Southee |
| Desert Vipers | Max Holden, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Curran, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer |
| Gulf Giants | Mark Adair, Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, James Vince, Gerhard Erasmus |
| MI Emirates | Kusal Perera, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Banton, Muhammad Waseem, Romario Shepherd |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, Alishan Sharafu, Charith Asalanka |
| Dubai Capitals | Shai Hope, Dasun Shanaka, Rovman Powell, Dushmantha Chameera, Gulbadin Naib |
| Team | New Signings |
|---|---|
| Sharjah Warriorz | Tim David, Sikandar Raza, Saurabh Netravalkar, Maheesh Theekshana |
| MI Emirates | Kamindu Mendis (ILT20 debut), Chris Woakes |
| Gulf Giants | Moeen Ali, Azmatullah Omarzai (ILT20 debut), Rahmanullah Gurbaz |
| Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Liam Livingstone, Sherfane Rutherford, Alex Hales |
| Dubai Capitals | Waqar Salamkheil, Muhammad Jawadullah, Luke Wood |
| Desert Vipers | Andries Gous |
Live Streaming and Broadcast Details
| Platform / Channel | Details |
|---|---|
| ZEE5 | Main streaming platform for India and global viewers |
| ILT20 Official YouTube | Free live streaming for all fans worldwide |
| ZEE Network TV Channels | Live telecast across multiple Zee channels for TV audiences |
| Date | October 1, 2025 |
| Time | 3:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GST |
| Language | Entire auction in English, with expert analysis and commentary |
ILT20 2025–26 Full Schedule
| Match No. | Match | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers | December 2, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 2 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | December 3, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 3 | Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates | December 4, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 4 | Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | December 5, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 5 | Dubai Capitals vs Gulf Giants | December 6, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 6 | Sharjah Warriorz vs MI Emirates | December 7, 2025 | 2:00 PM | Sharjah |
| 7 | Dubai Capitals vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | December 7, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 8 | Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants | December 8, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 9 | MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers | December 9, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 10 | Gulf Giants vs Sharjah Warriorz | December 10, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 11 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs MI Emirates | December 11, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 12 | Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers | December 12, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 13 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Dubai Capitals | December 13, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 14 | MI Emirates vs Sharjah Warriorz | December 14, 2025 | 2:00 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 15 | Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals | December 14, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 16 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Gulf Giants | December 15, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 17 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers | December 16, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 18 | Dubai Capitals vs MI Emirates | December 17, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 19 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Gulf Giants | December 18, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 20 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Dubai Capitals | December 19, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 21 | MI Emirates vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | December 20, 2025 | 2:00 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 22 | Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriorz | December 20, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 23 | Gulf Giants vs Dubai Capitals | December 21, 2025 | 2:00 PM | Sharjah |
| 24 | Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates | December 21, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 25 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Sharjah Warriorz | December 22, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 26 | MI Emirates vs Gulf Giants | December 23, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 27 | Dubai Capitals vs Sharjah Warriorz | December 24, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 28 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers | December 26, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 29 | MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals | December 27, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 30 | Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | December 28, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 31 | Qualifier 1 | December 30, 2025 | 6:30 PM | Abu Dhabi |
| 32 | Eliminator | January 1, 2026 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
| 33 | Qualifier 2 | January 2, 2026 | 6:30 PM | Sharjah |
| 34 | Final | January 4, 2026 | 6:30 PM | Dubai |
Code: TOPBK
