Ravichandran Ashwin’s name will top the order when the International League T20 holds its first player auction in Dubai on 1 October. The off-spinner, who stepped away from international cricket and the IPL earlier this year, has fixed his reserve at US$120,000 – the only six-figure starting price on a longlist that already runs to nearly 800 names.
That figure does not guarantee a contract, of course, but it sets a marker. Twenty-four Indian players, none of them currently centrally contracted, have put themselves forward; Ashwin, 39, is comfortably the best known. If bought, it will be his first appearance in an overseas T20 league, something he has often said he “never quite found the right window for” during a decade of near-constant India duty.
The fourth ILT20 season is scheduled for 2 December to 4 January, with six teams allowed a maximum purse of US$2 million – US$1.2 million for retentions and direct signings, then up to US$800,000 at the auction. A further US$250,000 can be used on two wildcard picks outside the room. As the tournament handbook puts it, “Franchises must spend at least US$1.5 million overall, ensuring competitive balance.”
Squad rules are precise. A roster must contain 19-21 players, excluding any wildcards, and break down as follows: at least 11 from Full-Member nations, four UAE players, one each from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, plus two from other Associate countries. Each side has a single right-to-match card, but it can only be used on a UAE cricketer previously in that club’s development squad.
Ashwin has declared full availability for the ILT20 window and is already on the radar of at least four Big Bash League teams for a post-Christmas stint. That second commitment could be attractive to bidders who want certainty over his fitness and rhythm going into the Australian summer.
The presence of a high-profile Indian gives the ILT20 auction useful early oxygen, yet the economics remain tight. Most teams have already sunk around half of their purse into retentions, leaving them to juggle star power, local-player quotas and back-end depth. Whether anyone is willing to commit more than ten per cent of the cap to a single 39-year-old spinner will be clear soon enough, but Ashwin’s track record – 197 IPL wickets, economy 6.9, plus that formidable Test record – suggests at least one coach will press the green button.
