It’s interesting that International League T20, which may not be considered in the same vein as leagues like IPL, BBL, SA20 or the Hundred, has been in the buzz for the last month or so, probably due to the increased Indian participation in the tournament. The first-ever player auction is not the only different aspect about the fourth edition of the ILT20, which has shifted to the January window due to the T20 World Cup being scheduled to be held in February-March, and will have players from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, mandatorily in the squad.
With several retired Indian players seeking refuge and a sunset in the franchise T20 tournaments, the ILT20 could see surprisingly high Indian participation in the same season. The likes of Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, and Ambati Rayudu have tried their hand at the tournament before, and there will be as many Indian players in the same season, if not more.
Dinesh Karthik has already confirmed signing with the Sharjah Warriorz as a replacement player for Kusal Mendis. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders announced Piyush Chawla as their second wildcard pick after Jason Holder and R Ashwin, of course, is likely to fetch a top dollar among marquee players at the auction.
However, not just Ashwin, a few more Indian names will be in the ILT20 auction pool, including pace bowler Ankit Rajpoot, who has a five-wicket haul in his name in the IPL. Then there is Punjab fast bowler Siddharth Kaul, who also might offer something in the bowling department to the six teams. The last but not least is Gujarat batter Priyank Panchal, who retired from Indian cricket earlier this year.
Several big-name Pakistani players, including Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Naseem Shah, are also in the mix, however, the PCB's suspension of NOCs might affect their chances of franchises being interested in them. Apart from them, Jason Roy, Shakib Al Hasan, Naveen ul Haq, Evin Lewis and Mohammad Nabi are among a few big names in the overseas roster, likely to be picked.
Each squad has to have at least 19 players, including a minimum of four UAE players and two each from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, while 11 are from full-member nations. Each side is also eligible to pick a couple of players as a wildcard from outside the allocated purse of $2m.